Author: Knaap-van Meeuwen
Morphological description
Tree to 9 m high, 12.5 cm in diameter. Growth flush-wise, flushes developing from large buds. Buds covered by 2-ranked, brown, caducous budscales with lengthwise veins; new leaves developing in bright white or pink tassels. Stipules present in the buds, very tender, caducous immediately after the unfolding of the bud, leaving hardly any scar.
Leaves paripinnate, 2- or 3-jugate, the rachis 3-11 cm, glabrous; petiole 6-12 mm. Leaflets opposite, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, ovate, ovate-oblong, 4-13 by 1.7-6.5 cm; apex acuminate, the acumen emarginate; base oblique, one side adnate to the short petiolule (c. 2 mm), auriculate; very obscurely hairy beneath (hardly visible in adult leaflets); midrib 0.5-1.5 cm from the upper margin.
Rachis of the inflorescence 2-2.5 cm, hairy; bracts 2 cm long, covered with adpressed hairs; bracteoles c. 1 cm long; pedicels 0.8-1.2 cm, densely pilose.
Flowers: (mariettae Maniltoa fl FM40 ). Hypanthium 3.5-5 mm deep, pubescent outside and inside. Sepals 8 mm long, densely hairy. Petals white, 6-10 mm long. Disk absent. Stamens with white filaments 8-15 mm, connate at the base for 2-2.5 mm; anthers apiculate. Ovary sessile, completely enclosed in the hypanthium, pilose; style 12-15 mm, with a few hairs.
Fruits rounded reniform in outline, 1.9-2.7 by 1.5-1.8 by 0.8-1 cm, rugose, subglabrous.
Seeds similar in shape, 2.5 by 1.5 by 0.85 cm, rugose.
Distribution
Malesia: Papua New Guinea (Morobe Prov.).
Habitat
Near creeks or streams, on rain forest margin, at very low altitudes (15-60 m).