Canarium L.

Burseraceae, J.B. Gillett. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1991

Morphology General Habit

Trees, usually dioecious but occasional hermaphrodite flowers may occur

Morphology Leaves

Leaves imparipinnate, with opposite, usually entire, leaflets; stipules present in the Flora species but usually very caducous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences long-pedunculate axillary panicles of cymes, the cymules subtended by persistent or caducous bracts

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx funnel-, bell- or saucer-shaped, 3-lobed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 3, usually imbricate below and valvate above

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 6, inserted outside or on the edge of the disc, smaller and probably infertile in ♀ flowers

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disc variable, usually a short tube which, when the stamens are attached to its rim, could be taken for the united bases of the filaments

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Ovary (absent or vestigial in ♂ flowers) 3-locular, with 2 ovules in each locule; style short; stigma subcapitate, ± 3-lobed Fruit an indehiscent drupe, the fleshy pericarp (composed of the united ectocarp and mesocarp) enclosing a single ± trigonous 3-locular stone (the endocarp) whose sides open like lids when the seeds germinate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Cotyledons digitately 3-foliolate or palmatifid, plicate or conduplicate. Seeds 3 (1 per locule) or fewer by abortion

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

Distribution

A genus of about 120 species distributed throughout the Old World tropics. Twenty two species in New Guinea (eight endemic), six species in the Solomon Islands (no endemics).

Morphology General Habit

Trees, rarely shrubs to 30 m tall. Stipules often present, on base of the petiole or nearby, foliose to linear. Leaves spirally arranged, rarely pseudo-whorled, often clustered at the ends of the branches, imparipinnate, rarely unifoliolate, petiolules pulvinate, margins entire to crenate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary or terminal, paniculate, sometimes racemose or spicate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers unisexual and plants usually dioecious, 3-merous; calyx cupular, fused to at least halfway, persistent and slightly accrescent in fruit; petals free, imbricate, thickened centrally and tip inflexed; stamens 6 in a single whorl, filaments free to fused into a tube; disk intrastaminal, 6-lobed; ovary 3-locular, sometimes stipitate, style short, stigma capitate or 3-lobed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit drupaceous, often 3-angled, pyrenes bony

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1–2 per fruit.

Ecology

Collected from a variety of habitats, but usually from primary and secondary lowland forests from sea level to 1100 m.

Recognition

Canarium can be distinguished by the stipules near the base of the petiole, the often crenate margin to the leaflets, the unisexual, 3-merous flowers with a cupular, 3-lobed calyx and imbricate petals and the drupaceous fruit which is often more or less triangular in cross section and with a persistent, enlarged calyx below.