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

Syzygium subalatum (Ridl.) Merr. & L.M.Perry

Journal of the Arnold Arboretum Vol. 23: 294 (1942)

Other Literature: T.G. Hartley & L.M. Perry, Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 186 (1973)

Family: Myrtaceae
Dicotyledon

Timber Group: Occasional timber species

Field Characters: Small sub-canopy tree (up to c. 20 m high); Bole cylindrical (up to c. 30 cm diam.); straight (bole up to c. 15 m long); buttresses buttresses absent; spines spines absent; aerial roots aerial roots absent; stilt roots stilt roots absent; Bark pale brown, slightly rough, slightly fissured or scaly or flaky; Subrhytidome (under-bark) red; less than 25 mm thick; bark blaze consisting of one layer; faintly to non-aromatic; outer blaze pale red, markings absent, fibrous; inner blaze pale red, markings absent, fibrous; 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, opposite (in pairs, opposite one another on the branchlet), simple (a leaf composed of a single blade); petiole present, not winged, attached to base of leaf blade, not swollen; leaves broadest above middle or broadest at or near middle, 4.0-8.0 cm, (1.5-) 2.0-3.0 cm; symmetric, entire, not dissected or lobed, distinctly acuminate, venation pinnate, secondary veins closed, not prominent, but visible, intramarginal veins present; leaves lower surface dull green, upper surface dull dark green, indumentum (hairs) absent; present (densely glandular); domatia absent; stipules absent.

Flowers: Inflorescence axillary, flowers single, cones absent; flowers bisexual, stalked, flowers with many planes of symmetry, 20.0-50.0 mm long, diameter large (more than10 mm diam.); perianth present, with distinct sepals and petals whorls, inner perianth purplish red or pale green; 4, free; stamens 100, present, free of each other, free of the perianth (attached to hypanthium); ovary inferior, carpels joined (when more than one), locules 2; styles solitary, 1.

Fruits: Infrutescence single, fruit 10.0-15.0 mm long, 12.0 (c.) mm diam., bright red, not spiny, fleshy, simple, indehiscent, drupe; seeds 1, about 10 mm long, not winged, broad (as wide as long), seed 1-10 mm diam. (c. 8 mm diam.).

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

Botanical records in PNGplants database Map details