毛叶铁榄

Trees (5--)9--12 m tall. Branchlets rust colored pubescent and lenticellate. Leaves alternate, often closely clustered at end of branchlets; petiole 0.7--1.5 cm, rust colored tomentose or subglabrous; leaf blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, (5--)7--9(--15) X 3--4 cm, base cuneate, apex acuminate, lateral veins 8--12 pairs. Flowers pale yellow, in 1--3-flowered clusters on axillary panicle; peduncle 1--3 cm; bractlets ovate-triangular. Pedicel 2--4 mm. Calyx campanulate; sepals 5, triangular or subovate, 2--3 X 1.5--2 mm. Corolla 4--5 mm; lobes (4 or)5, ovate-oblong, 1.5--2.5 X ca. 1 mm. Stamens (4 or)5; staminodes (4 or)5, petal-like and lanceolate, 1--2 mm, laciniate. Ovary subglobose, 4- or 5-locular, ca. 1 mm, glabrous. Style 2--3 mm and lengthened in fruit. Fruit ca. 2.5 X 1.5 cm. Seed 1, ellipsoid and compressed, 1.6 X 0.9 cm; scar subrounded. Fl. May-Aug.

Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan [Vietnam].

The generic placement of this species is unsettled. Hemsley originally placed it, with uncertainty, in Sarcosperma. This has been followed by W. Y. Chun and How (Acta Phytotax. Sin. 7: 74. 1958). However, this species differs distinctly from Sarcosperma in both vegetative and floral characters. Lam and Kerpel (Blumea 3: 285. 1939.) and P. Royen (Blumea 8: 359. 1957.) transferred it to Planchonella. This transfer was followed by C. Y. Wu and H. W. Li [Yunnan Redai Yaredai Zhiwu Quxi Yanjiu Baogao (Rep. Stud. Pl. Trop. Subtrop. Yunnan)] 1: 26. 1965.) who drew attention to the seeds with copious endosperm and leafy cotyledons. However, other features such as the racemose, sometimes paniculate inflorescences, and seeds with a round, basal scar, suggest exclusion from Planchonella. Based on the alternate leaves, 1-seeded berry, and seed characteristics, it is here included within Sinosideroxylon.