Beilschmiedia kunstleri Gamble

de kok, R. P. J., 2016, A revision of Beilschmiedia (Lauraceae) of Peninsular Malaysia, Blumea 61 (2), pp. 147-164 : 155-156

7. Beilschmiedia kunstleri Gamble — Map 3

Beilschmiedia kunstleri Gamble (1910) 147; Ridl. (1924) 83; Kosterm. (1964) 132; Kochummen (1989) 120; I.M. Turner (1995) 276; Sach. Nishida (2008) 362. — Type (selected here): King’s Collector 6854 (lectotype K [K000768665]), [Peninsular Malaysia], Perak, near Larut.

Trees or shrubs 5–35 m tall, dbh 15–30 cm; bark greyish or black to brownish, smooth to scaly, lenticellate; inner bark pinkish to yellow brown; sapwood whitish or pale yellow to creamy. Twigs stout, (5.5–) 15–20 mm diam, sparsely hairy, with prominent lenticels and leaf scars; terminal leaf buds ovoid to lanceolate, 6.2–11.5 mm long, velutinous; hairs both short, erect and curly, and long and straight, dark brown. Leaves spirally arranged and crowded at the ends of twigs, blades oblanceolate, 21–37 by 6–14 cm, thickly leathery; apex blunt or acute; base cuneate; margins revolute; secondary veins 9–16 pairs, tertiary veins reticulate to scalariform; upper surface glabrous, glossy, light to dark green, midrib raised or flattened, secondary veins sunken to raised, tertiary veins distinct; lower surface glabrous, midrib raised and very sparsely hairy, secondary veins raised, tertiary veins distinct. Petiole 10–33 mm long, slightly swollen, sparsely hairy. Inflorescence 110–190 mm long, not enclosed at base by bracts, sparsely hairy to velutinous; bracteoles linear, 1.7–3 mm long, apex acute. Flowers sparsely hairy, white or yellow; perianth tube not distinct; perianth lobes sparsely hairy, 3.3–3.5 by 1.3–1.6 mm, apices rounded, margins not ciliate. Stamens 9, 2–3 mm long. Ovary c. 1 mm diam, glabrous; style c. 1.6 mm long. Fruit (dried) ovate to ellipsoid, 1.5–25 by 8–20

mm, apex acute to blunt, base attenuate, surface smooth to ribbed, red to brown when mature, shiny. Stalk when mature (slightly) swollen to 5 mm diam, bright red, with a constriction at the apex.

Distribution — Peninsular Thailand to Borneo, and reported from Sumatra by Nishida (2008: 362).

Ecology — Growing in primary and secondary forests, sometimes in swamp-forest or along streams, from 10–800(–1300) m altitude.

IUCN Conservation Assessment — Least Concern.

Phenology — Flowering: February to August; fruiting: March to September.

Notes — The original description mentioned two collections: Perak , near Larut , 1884, King’s Collector 6854 ( K) and Singapore, Bukit Timah , Bayliss 5885. As I could not find the second collection, I have chosen the first as the lectotype .

This species is usually easily recognisable due to its big, glabrous leaves and stout twigs. However, the variation in twig thickness can be considerable even within one collection, and some specimens have slender twigs which then resemble B. maingayi , from which B. kunstleri differs in having a different leaf shape, texture and apex.