Barry Conn (NSW) & Kipiro Damas (LAE).
Guide to trees of Papua New Guinea
Copyright held by the authors, National Herbarium of New South Wales, and Papua New Guinea National Herbarium

Galearia celebica Koord. var. celebica

Mededeelingen uit 's Lands Plantentuin Vol. 19: 584-626 (1898)

Other Literature: H.K. Airy Shaw, Kew Bulletin, additional series 220 (1980)

Family: Pandaceae
Dicotyledon

Timber Group: Non-timber species

Field Characters: Small sub-canopy tree (8-25 m high) or Large canopy tree (rarely up to 30 m high); Bole markedly fluted (15-40 cm diam.); crooked (bole 7-10 m long); buttresses buttresses absent or buttresses present (buttresses up to 1 m high); spines spines absent; aerial roots aerial roots absent; stilt roots stilt roots absent; Bark pale brown, almost smooth or rough, finely fissured, scaly or flaky, or slightly pustular, lenticels irregular; Subrhytidome (under-bark) brown, pink, or green; less than 25 mm thick, 10.0-14.0; bark blaze consisting of one layer; faintly to non-aromatic; almond-like (nutty-like) or pleasant; outer blaze reddish yellow or pink, markings absent, granular without splinters (brittle); inner blaze reddish yellow or pink, markings absent, granular without splinters (brittle); bark exudate (sap) absent; terminal buds not enclosed by leaves.

Indumentum: Complex hairs absent; stinging hairs absent; mature twig indumentum (hairs) absent.

Leaves: Leaves spaced along branches, spiral (leaves occurring singly at a node and arranged spirally up the branchlet), simple (a leaf composed of a single blade); petiole present, not winged, attached to base of leaf blade, not swollen; leaves broadest below middle, 8.5-26.0 cm, 5.5-9.5 cm; very asymmetric, entire, not dissected or lobed, sub acute, venation pinnate, secondary veins open, prominent, intramarginal veins absent; leaves lower surface yellowish green or pale green, upper surface green or dark green, indumentum (hairs) absent; absent; domatia absent; stipules absent.

Flowers: Inflorescence on the trunk or branches (ramiflorous on smaller branches and main trunk) or sometimes terminal, flowers on an unbranched axis (long pendulous racemes 40-80 cm long), cones absent; flowers bisexual, stalked, flowers with one plane of symmetry, 7.0-8.0 mm long, diameter small (up to10 mm diam.) (8-10 mm diam.); perianth present (shortly hairy, appearing mealy), with distinct sepals and petals whorls, inner perianth cream-coloured or white; 5, free; stamens 10, absent, joined, free of the perianth; ovary superior, carpels joined (when more than one), locules 5; styles absent.

Fruits: Infrutescence arranged on unbranched axis (on long pendulous racemes), fruit 12.0-20.0 (-40.0) mm long, 15.0-25.0 (-30.0) mm diam., almost white or pale brown, not spiny, slightly fleshy or non-fleshy, simple, indehiscent, schizocarp (actually a capsule, with valves not dehiscing until germination); seeds 5, about 10 mm long (8-10 mm long), not winged, broad (as wide as long) (laterally flattened), seed 1-10 mm diam. (c. 10 mm diam.).

Distribution: West Sepik, East Sepik, Madang, Morobe, Western, Gulf, Central, Milne Bay, New Britain & Bougainville.

Botanical records in PNGplants database Map details

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Notes: Notes Previously classified as part of the Euphorbiaceae.