Entada rheedei Spreng., Syst. Veg. 2: 325. 1825.

= Entada pursaetha DC., Mém . Légum .: 421. 1826.

= Entada monostachya DC., Mém . Légum .: 422. 1826.

= Entada gogo I.M. Johnst., Sargentia 8: 137. 1949.

Type.

INDIA. Malabar coast, illustration in Rheede Hort. Malab. 9: 151, tab. 77. 1689.

Description.

Liana to 75 m long, stems to 30 cm diameter at base (Figs 2A, 21A), with elevated nectaries at nodes. Leaves: rachis 6.4-12.9 cm long, terminating in a bifurcating tendril; pinnae 1-2 pairs per leaf, 5-14 cm long, with 3-5 pairs of opposite leaflets, sometimes terminating in a glandular mucro (Fig. 4E); leaflets 1.8-6.6 × 1.2-2.9 cm, chartaceous, elliptic to oblanceolate, asymmetric, apex obtuse to acuminate, retuse, base rounded to attenuate, mid-rib above pubescent, lamina glabrous, except below near the base (Figs 2E, 21B). Inflorescence: a spike, 8-25 cm long, axillary, solitary, or sometimes several spikes from a short shoot, peduncle 1-8.5 cm long, peduncle and rachis puberulous to villose (Fig. 21C). Flowers: cream or greenish, sessile to sub-sessile, staminate or bisexual, with an unpleasant odour; calyx cupular, 0.75-1.2 mm long, shallowly toothed; petals pale green to white, 2.5-3.5 mm long; stamen filaments 2-6.5 mm long, white turning yellow; stigma shallowly cupular. Fruit: a gigantic, torulose craspedium, 50-200 × 7-15 cm, straight to slightly curved, with transverse septa between seeds dividing the fruit into one-seeded segments which, upon ripening, fall from the persistent replum; segments 6.5-7.5 cm long; epicarp and endocarp woody (Figs 2J, 21D, E). Seeds: subcircular, laterally compressed, 5 × 3.5-5 cm, hard, brown, pleurogram lacking.