Simaroubaceae

Picrasma Blume

First published in Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind.: 247 (1825)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Himalaya to Japan and Tropical Asia, Mexico to Tropical America.

Descriptions

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution
A genus of eight species from tropical Asia and America; a single species in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands: Picrasma javanica Blume.
Morphology General Habit
Plants glabrous or almost so Trees and shrubs to 20 m tall
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Pseudo-stipules present, orbicular but caducous
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, imparipinnate, leaflets opposite, petiole base and nodes swollen (shrunken in dry material), leaflets opposite, sometimes slightly unequal at the base, margins entire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary, compound, flat-topped cymes. Flowers unisexual, 4-merous (in New Guinea); sepals free, minute, persistent and accrescent in fruit; petals valvate in bud, apex mucronate; stamens 4 (in New Guinea), filaments free; disk thick, fleshy; ovary apocarpous, carpels 4, almost free, 1 ovule per carpel, styles fused, stigmatic branches twice as long as style, filiform
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits of 1–3 drupaceous mericarps, globose
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed 1 per mericarp.
Ecology
In New Guinea, Picrasma occurs in primary rain forest from sea level to 1500 m.
Recognition
It is very distinctive on account of the orbicular pseudo-stipules, compound leaves with shrunken nodes on the rachis (in dry material), inflorescences with a broad, rounded top, 4-merous flowers with 4 stamens and 4 carpels, and fruit of globose, drupaceous mericarps with an accrescent calyx below.
[TONG]

Sources

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Trees of New Guinea

    • Trees of New Guinea
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0