Urticaceae

Pipturus Wedd.

First published in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 1: 196 (1854)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is W. Indian Ocean, Nansei-shoto to Tropical Asia and Pacific.

Descriptions

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

Distribution
An Old World genus of c. 30 species from Africa and Madagascar through the Middle East to India and China and throughout Malesia to the western Pacific; at least eight species are found in New Guinea of which at least three can be trees (including the highly variable P. argenteus Wedd.).
Morphology General Habit
Trees to 12 m or shrubs Plants dioecious or rarely monoecious
Morphology General Indumentum
Stinging hairs absent
Morphology General Cystoliths
Cystoliths punctiform
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules early caducous, intrapetiolar, 2-cleft. Leaves alternate, leaf blade 3veined at the base and with upper veins, often white- or greyish tomentose abaxially, margins crenate-serrate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences axillary, glomerules of unisexual flowers either sessile in leaf axils or arranged regularly along spikes or panicles; bracts small
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Staminate flowers: perianth lobes 4 or 5, valvate; stamens 4 or 5; rudimentary ovary woolly
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Pistillate flowers: perianth tube 4- or 5-dentate, thinly fleshy in fruit; staminodes absent; ovary enclosed, adnate to perianth; style present; stigma filiform, villous on 1 side, caducous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Achene closely enclosed by slightly enlarged and somewhat fleshy perianth.
Ecology
Found in regrowth, forest edges and primary rain forest in lowland and montane habitats from sea level to 2800(–3600) m.
Recognition
"Pipturus species have alternate and discolorous leaves, and flowers with a filiform stigma. The genus is very like Boehmeria, both vegetatively and in flower and is distinguishable only by a few characters of the perianth in pistillate flowers, which is succulent at maturity, and instead of being constricted into a beak at the apex, has a dark ""hole"" at the apex after the caducous stigma has fallen, this dark hole is clearly visible with a hand lens and usually also to naked eye. Fruits in Pipturus are also never markedly laterally compressed, winged or ribbed."
[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 2024. 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 2024. 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