Beilschmiedia lumutensis Gamble

de kok, R. P. J., 2016, A revision of Beilschmiedia (Lauraceae) of Peninsular Malaysia, Blumea 61 (2), pp. 147-164 : 157

9. Beilschmiedia lumutensis Gamble — Map 3

Beilschmiedia lumutensis Gamble (1910) 148; Ridl. (1924) 84; Kosterm. (1964) 135; Kochummen (1989) 120; I.M. Turner (1995) 276. — Type: Ridley 10323 (holotype K [K000768671]; isotype SING [SING 0055157]), [Peninsular Malaysia], Perak, Lumut.

Trees or shrubs 3–15 m tall; bark light or greenish grey to yellow brown, smooth. Twigs slender, 2.5–3.7 mm diam, longitudinally ridged, dark brown when dried, glabrous; terminal leaf buds linear to lanceolate, 2–7 mm long, glabrous. Leaves (sub)opposite, blades elliptic to oblong, 8–16 by 1.8–8 cm, thinly leathery; apex rounded to acute; base broadly cuneate; margins flat; secondary veins 6 –12 pairs, curving and joining near margins; tertiary veins reticulate; upper surface glabrous, shiny when dried, midrib slightly sunken in lower half, secondary veins raised, tertiary veins distinct; lower surface glabrous, shiny when dried, midrib raised, secondary veins raised, tertiary veins distinct. Petiole 8–23 mm long, channelled, glabrous. Inflorescence type 2 (Van der Werff 2001), 20–65 mm long, glabrous, not enclosed at base by bracts; bracteoles orbicular to linear, 0.6–0.7 mm long, glabrous, caducous. Flowers pale yellowish green, glabrous; perianth tube not distinct; perianth lobes elliptic to orbicular, 1.5–2 by 1.1–1.7 mm, apices rounded to acute, margins glabrous. Stamens 9, 1–1.5 mm long. Ovary c. 1 mm diam, glabrous; style c. 0.5 mm long. Fruit (dried) ellipsoid 18–30 by 8.5–15 mm, apex rounded, base cuneate, surface smooth, glabrous. Stalk when mature swollen to c. 3 mm, 7–15 mm long, not constricted at apex.

Distribution — Endemic to Peninsular Malaysia.

Ecology — Growing in lowland and hill forests, sometimes on sandstone or near streams, at 150–200 m altitude.

IUCN Conservation Assessment — Endangered (EN B2ab (ii,iii)). This species is recorded as uncommon ( Kochummen 1989: 120) and is only known from six collections which were made between 1899 and 1967. The part of Peninsular Malaysia where this species occurs has seen many modifications of the landscape over the last 30 years. An analysis of the EOO and the AOO both gives the assessment of Endangered.Therefore, it is listed as Endangered here.

Phenology — Flowering: February to August; fruiting: February to July.

Notes — Beilschmiedia lumutensis appears to be closely related to the Bornean species B. microcarpa Sach.Nishida , B. gynotrochioides Kosterm. and B. glauciphylla Kosterm. It has in common with these species its opposite, elliptic leaves and its narrow, glabrous terminal leaf buds. The differences between these species are set out in Table 1. The Peninsular Malaysian species seems to be morphologically closest to B. microcarpa as it has flowers and fruits of similar size and shape. However, B. microcarpa is only found in the northern part of Sarawak, Sabah and the eastern part of Kalimantan, while B. gynotrochioides and B. glauciphylla are distributed in the central part of Sarawak ( Nishida 2006: 92; 2008: 357, 367). So it seems that B. lumutensis is morphological closest to B. microcarpa , but it is geographically separated from it by B. gynotrochioides and B. glauciphylla . The morphological differences between B. lumutensis and B. microcarpa are small, the principal one being that the leaf is on average broader and its apex is acuminate in B. microcarpa vs narrower with a leaf apex which is rounded to acute in B. lumutensis .

Beilschmiedia lumutensis is unique among the Peninsular Malaysian species in having an inflorescence of type 2 (Van der Werff 2001), with the lateral flowers of the ultimately cymes strictly opposite, vs the more usual type 3, in which the lateral flowers of the ultimate cymes are not strictly opposite. However, apart from the structure of the inflorescence, this species falls well within the definition of Beilschmiedia .Although the inflorescence might perhaps suggest a relationship with Dehaasia Blume , other characters, such as the flowers and dark coloured twigs of B. lumutensis all point towards Beilschmiedia . In Dehaasia the tepals are unequal (the outer 3 much smaller than the inner 3) to almost equal and the twigs are often light in colour (Van der Werff 2001). I therefore agree with Kostermans (1973a) and Kochummen (1989) in keeping this species in Beilschmiedia .