Aglaia elaeagnoidea (A.Juss.) Benth.

Joyce, E. M., Crayn, D. M., Rossetto, M., Yap, J. Y. S., Thiele, K. R. & Pannell, C. M., 2023, Taxonomic recircumscriptions in the Aglaia elaeagnoidea complex (Meliaceae), Blumea 68 (1), pp. 26-38 : 34

1. Aglaia elaeagnoidea (A.Juss.) Benth. — Fig 5

Aglaia elaeagnoidea (A.Juss.) Benth. (1863) 383; Koord. & Valeton (1913) t. 154; Pannell (1992) 143, p.p. pro type; (1995a) 243,p.p. pro type;(2007) 49; Kenneally & N.L.McKenzie (1989) 52; W.Cooper & W.T. Cooper (2004) 285; Pannell (2013b) 38. — Nemedra elaeagnoidea A.Juss. (1830) 239; (1832 ‘1830’) 223, t. 14. — Lectotype (designated by Pannell 1992): Leschenault in Baudin s.n. (lecto P; isolecto BM, G, K), Australia.

Aglaia lepidota Miq. (1861) 507. — Type: Anonymous HB 4485 (holo U), S. Sumatra, Lampong Province, Pulau Lebuku .

Aglaia canariifolia Koord. (1898) 380,633. — Lectotype (designated by Pan- nell 1992): Koorders 17899 (lecto BO; isolecto L), Sulawesi, Minahassa , Menado.

Aglaia elaeagnoidea (A.Juss.) Benth. var. glabrescens Valeton (1905) 65. — Lectotype (designated here by Pannell): Teijsmann 323 (lecto L; isolecto K), cultivated in Bogor Botanical Garden.

Aglaia parvifolia Merr. (1905) 21. — Lectotype (designated by Pannell 1992): Clark For. Bur. 986 [968] (lectotype (designated by Pannell 1992) NY; isolectotypes BM,G,K, US), Philippine Islands,Island of Burias, June 1904.

Aglaia elaeagnoidea (A.Juss.) Benth. var. formosana Hayata (1906) 78. — Aglaia formosana (Hayata) Hayata (1913) 52. — Type: Owatari s. n. (holo K), Taiwan, near Chokachiraisha.

Aglaia elaeagnoidea ( A.Juss.) Benth.var. pallens Merr.(1908) 413. — Aglaia pallens (Merr.) Merr. (1918) 297. — Lectotype (designated by Pannell 1992): BS (Fénix) 4122 (lecto NY), Philippines, Camiguin Island , Ba- buyanes.

Aglaia cupreolepidota Merr. (1922) 393. — Lectotype (designated by Pannell 1992): BS (Ramos) 39579 (lecto A; isolecto BM, BO, GH, K US), Philip- pines, Mindoro , Paluan.

Aglaia odoratissima auct. non Blume: Benth. (1843) 213, quoad specimens: Barclay s.n. (K), Tobie Island; Hind 1841 (K!), New Guinea.

Small trees, to 20 m tall, without or sometimes with buttresses. Bark pale brown, greyish brown or mottled, with fine vertical fissures, shedding in large flakes which curl back; inner bark pink grading to cream; wood pink or yellow. Twigs densely covered with large white, pale brown or sometimes coppery brown peltate scales often with an irregular margin. Leaves alternate, imparipinnate, 4.5–22(–26) by 9–20(–26) cm; petiole to 4.3(–5.5) cm long. Leaflets (1–)3–7; lamina elliptical or obovate, 2–16 by 1–6.5 cm, mostly twice as long as wide or less, base cuneate, apex rounded or with a short broad acumen, with scales (like those on the twigs) usually densely covering the lower leaflet surface and few to numerous on the upper surface, with numerous faint or conspicuous pits on both surfaces, lateral veins 5–10 on each side of midrib, ascending and curved upwards near the margin, anastomosing, midrib prominent and lateral veins subprominent on the lower leaflet surface, reticulation usually not visible (except sometimes in inland specimens and on other specimens with sparse indumentum); petiolules 0.4–2 mm long on lateral leaflets, to 2.5(–4.5) cm long on terminal leaflet. Flowers depressed globose, 1.5–2 by c. 2 mm. Calyx cup-shaped, divided into 5 rounded lobes, densely covered on the outside with scales (like those on the twigs). Petals usually 5, white or yellow, quincun- cial, with scales (like those on the twigs) few to numerous on the petals, sometimes with a short-fimbriate margin. Staminal tube subglobose, c. 1 by 1.5 mm wide, the aperture 0.6–1 mm diam; anthers 5, broadly ovoid, c. 0.4 by 0.5 mm, inserted half way up the tube, included within or just protruding through the aperture. Fruits subglobose, 1–2 by 1.3–1.5 cm, indehiscent; pericarp red, often wrinkled when dry, with few scales (like those on the twigs), sometimes with a short-fimbriate margin; locules 2, each with 0 or 1 seed. Seeds partly or completely surrounded by a gelatinous white or yellow aril.

Distribution — Aglaia elaeagnoidea is found in Taiwan, the Philippines, Borneo, Bali, Sulawesi, Maluku, Timor, New Guinea, Australia (Queensland and Western Australia), Melanesia and in the Western Pacific to the Samoan Islands.

Habitat & Ecology — Grows in coastal rainforest, monsoon forest, strand forest on dunes, shingle ramparts, rocky hillside, semi-deciduous vine forest, vine scrub or wind-swept vine forest, and riparian forest, from sea level to 400 m elevation. Occurs on sandy soils and sand dunes, soils derived from metamorphic rocks, lateritised basalt or basic igneous rocks, basalt flows or red clay over basalt, and alluvia. Aglaia elaeagnoidea is usually coastal, but two of four specimens sequenced from the Philippines, and one of two specimens sequenced from Borneo, are from inland localities at 84–133 m elevation. In- land specimens of A. elaeagnoidea s.str. sometimes resemble A. wallichii in having a distinct drip tip on their leaves. Speci- mens sequenced from Timor were from inland populations up to 380 m elevation (an additional unsequenced specimen was collected at 400 m). Those sequenced from the Kimberley region of Western Australia were inland at or near sea level.

Note — The large, almost white, peltate scales, and pale brown or coppery scales are conspicuous on the stems and leaves, giving the plant a pale or coppery appearance. The indumentum is more often copper-red in western parts of the range of the species. The outer surfaces of the petals always have some peltate scales. The single decisive diagnostic char- acter that separates A. elaeagnoidea s.str. from A. wallichii and A. roxburghiana is the red fruit with few peltate scales. In the Kimberley (Western Australia), the aril is vestigial, the pericarp has few scales and the fruits are eaten by birds, especially Pied Imperial Pigeons Ducula bicolor , which swallow them whole.

Figures

Fig. 5 Aglaia elaeagnoidea s.str. a. Branch with inflorescence, with arrow indicating leaf lower surface; b. mature fruit; c. peltate scale with entire margin; d. peltate scale with fimbriate margin (a, c–d: Ford & Bradford 5776; b: Croft & Lelean LAE 68520, all CNS). — Illustration by E.M. Joyce.