Callicarpa arborea Roxb.

Bramley, G.L.C. 2013. The genus Callicarpa (Lamiaceae) in the Philippines. Kew Bulletin 68: 369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-013-9456-y

Morphology General Habit

Shrub or tree to 6 m

Morphology Stem

Stems with a dense indumentum of plumose hairs, obscuring the surface, becoming woodier and more glabrous as they mature an interpetiolar ridge present

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite, petiolate blades ovate to narrowly ovate, elliptic or obovate, 12 – 25 × 5 – 14 cm, margins ± entire, rarely shallowly dentate, apex acuminate, base shortly attenuate, upper surface with a mealy indumentum of ± stellate hairs when young, soon becoming glabrous except for along the sunken midrib and secondary nerve pairs, also with yellow sessile glands, lower surface appearing pale, the surface occasionally scarcely visible or ± obscured by a dense indumentum of interwoven branched hairs, the hairs more densely branched along the midrib, which is thick and conspicuously raised, also with occasional peltate scales either side of the midrib petioles 2.5 – 6.5 cm, indumentum as stems

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence axillary, large, up to 12 cm across, terminal parts congested, peduncles 3 – 7 cm long, indumentum as stem bracts very narrowly ovate, 3 – 6 mm long, glabrous above, as stems below pedicels c. 1 mm long, indumentum as stems bracteoles very narrowly ovate, 1 – 3 mm long, indumentum as bracts

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx cupular, c. 1 mm long with 4 slight lobes marked by thickened ridges, outer surface with branched hairs, these either so dense the surface obscured, or only scattered, the surface clearly visible

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla purple, 3 – 4 mm long, divided into 4 rounded lobes 1 – 1.5 mm long, usually reflexed, the edges fringed with papillae, outer surface glabrous, rarely with scattered branched hairs, glandular, inner surface ± glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 4, filaments 4 – 6 mm long, exserted 2 – 3 mm, arising c. 0.5 mm from the base of the corolla tube, anthers elliptic, 1 – 1.5 mm long with numerous yellow sessile glands where they attach to the connective, dehiscing through longitudinal slits

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma

Stigma capitate, c. 1 mm wide, surface glandular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary with branched hairs when immature

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit purple when mature, 2.5 – 3 mm wide (on dry specimen), glabrous, with yellow sessile glands, subtended by calyx 4 1-seeded locules breaking up into 4 1-seeded pyrenes.

Distribution

Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Philippines, Sulawesi, New Guinea. Map 1.

Conservation

Least concern (LC) in the Philippines and across its distribution.

Ecology

In open lowland or hill forests or disturbed areas 0 – 1800 m.

Vernacular

Atimla (Tagalog), Magilig (Tagalog) (for Callicarpa magna in Merrill 1923).

Note

Close to Callicarpa tomentosa (L.) L., a species described from Sri Lanka, the range of which extends to India. Confusion between these two species exists because Lam & Bakhuizen (1921) used the name C. tomentosa to refer to what is actually C. arborea. However, C. arborea can be distinguished by its peduncles, which are generally longer than the petioles (in C. tomentosa peduncles are shorter than petioles) and by its indumentum which, although variable, tends to be shorter and less woolly than that of C. tomentosa. The calyx indumentum also varies: specimens from mainland Asia and Sumatra tend to have calyces with dense hair covering the outer surface, but those originally described as C. magna from the Philippines tend to have more or less glabrous calyces. They agree in all other characters.