Barry Conn (NSW) & Kipiro Damas (LAE).
Copyright held by the authors, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, and Papua New Guinea National Herbarium

Alphitonia incana (Roxb.) Kurz

Journal of Botany Vol. 11: (1873)

Field Characters: Small trees 12-20 m high. Bole cylindrical 10-15 cm diam.; straight bole 0.5 m long, branching from near base; buttresses absent; spines absent; aerial roots absent; stilt roots absent. Bark white or grey, rough, slightly pustular or fissured; lenticels elongated vertically; subrhytidome green; bark thickness <25 mm thick, 4.0 mm thick; blaze consisting of one layer; strongly aromatic; almond-like; outer blaze pale yellow cream-coloured or green, markings absent, fibrous; inner blaze pale yellow cream-coloured or green, markings absent, fibrous; exudate present, colourless, spotty, not changing colour on exposure to air or slightly changing colour on exposure to air, to pale brown sometimes, slightly sticky. Terminal buds not enclosed by leaves; complex hairs absent; stinging hairs absent; mature twig hairy; hairs dense hairs brown.

Leaves: Spaced along branches <internodes readily visible>. Leaves spiral, simple; petiole present petiole 6-10 (-15) mm long, not winged, attached to base of leaf blade <not peltate>, not swollen; lamina occasionally broadest below middle or equally broad throughout much of length, 9.0-16.0 (-19.0) cm long, 4.0-7.0 cm wide; lamina symmetric, margin entire often slightly wavy, not dissected or lobed, apex acuminate or sub acute, venation pinnate <secondary veins arising from the midrib along its length>, secondary veins open <spaced far apart to easily see tertiary veins>, prominent, intramarginal veins absent; lower surface red hairs rusty brown or brown, upper surface dark green, hairs present, dense hairs rusty brown; oil dots absent; domatia absent; stipules absent.

Flowers: Inflorescence axillary <from between a leaf and branch>. Flowers on a branched axis; flowers bisexual sweetly aromatic, not stalked or shortly stalked pedicel up to 1 mm long, with many planes of symmetry <actinomorphic>, 2.0-2.5 mm long, small (< or =10 mm diam.) 2.5-3 mm diam.; perianth present, with distinct sepals and petals, pale yellow, white, or cream-coloured; inner perianth 5, free; stamens 5, filaments absent, joined <connate>, free of perianth; ovary superior <seated above petals and sepals; hypogenous>, carpels joined (when more than one) <syncarpous>, locules 4; styles solitary <including joined together>, 1.

Fruits: Fruits arranged on branched axis. Fruit 12-15 mm long, 12.0-15.0 mm diam., fruit dark green or almost black, not spiny, non-fleshy or slightly fleshy, simple, dehiscent, capsule. Seeds 4 (dark glossy red), to about 5 mm long 4-5 mm long, not winged, as wide as long, 1-10 mm diam. about 4 mm diam. (slightly flattened).

Distribution: Milne Bay, Western, New Britain, Eastern Highlands, Northern, Central, Western Highlands, Madang, East Sepik, Morobe, West Sepik & Southern Highlands.

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