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

Ilex archboldiana Merr. & L.M.Perry

Journal of the Arnold Arboretum Vol. 20: 333 (1939)

Field Characters: Large trees 20-30 m high. Bole cylindrical 40-94 cm diam.; straight bole 15 m long; buttresses absent; spines absent; aerial roots absent; stilt roots absent. Bark grey or brown, slightly rough, pustular; lenticels irregular; subrhytidome green; bark thickness <25 mm thick, 5.0 mm thick; blaze consisting of one layer; faintly to non-aromatic; pleasant like freshly cut grass; outer blaze white or pale yellow cream-coloured, markings absent, granular without splinters; inner blaze white or pale yellow cream-coloured, markings absent, granular without splinters; exudate present, colourless, spotty, changing colour on exposure to air, to green, slightly sticky. Terminal buds not enclosed by leaves; complex hairs absent; stinging hairs absent; mature twig without hairs.

Leaves: Spaced along branches <internodes readily visible>. Leaves spiral, simple; petiole present 5 mm long, not winged, attached to base of leaf blade <not peltate>, not swollen; lamina broadest above middle, 2.0-4.5 cm long, 1.2-3.0 cm wide; lamina symmetric, margin entire often strongly recurved, not dissected or lobed, apex emarginate or retuse, venation pinnate <secondary veins arising from the midrib along its length>, secondary veins open <spaced far apart to easily see tertiary veins>, not prominent, but visible, intramarginal veins absent; lower surface pale green, upper surface dark green, hairs absent; oil dots absent; domatia absent; stipules absent.

Flowers: Inflorescence axillary <from between a leaf and branch>. Flowers on a branched axis; flowers bisexual, stalked pedicel 1-2 mm long, with many planes of symmetry <actinomorphic>, 1.5 mm long, small (< or =10 mm diam.) 1.5 mm diam.; perianth present, with distinct sepals and petals, white or slightly green; inner perianth 5, free; stamens 5, filaments present, free of each other, free of perianth; ovary superior <seated above petals and sepals; hypogenous>, carpels joined (when more than one) <syncarpous>.

Fruits: Fruits arranged on branched axis. Fruit 5-7 mm long, 5.0-6.0 mm diam., fruit red, not spiny, fleshy, simple, indehiscent, berry.

Distribution: Eastern Highlands, Morobe, West Sepik, East Sepik, Western Highlands, Southern Highlands, Central, Milne Bay & Papuan Islands.

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