Author: Teijsmann ex Miquel
This species has been divided into two varieties: Sindora siamansis Teijsmann ex Miquel var. siamensis , as treated here, and Sindora siamansis Teijsmann ex Miquel var. maritima (Pierre) K. & S.S. Larsen, distributed in Cambodia and Thailand.
Sindora siamansis Teijsmann ex Miquel var. siamensis Sindora siamensis siamensis
Morphological description (siamensis Sindora compl FT25 ; siam Sindora BBGB18 f13 )
Tree . Stipules foliaceous, falcate, up to c. 18 mm long, acuminate, rounded auriculate at base, reticulate and puberulous on both surfaces, caducous.
Leaves (2- or 1-)3- or 4-jugate; petiole 3-4 cm and rachis up to c. 10.5 cm long, both puberulous, glabrescent; petiolules short, up to c. 5 mm, finely puberulous, glabrescent. Leaflets coriaceous, elliptic, elliptic-oblong, or broadly elliptic, (3.5-)6-12.5(-15) by (2.3-)4-6.5(-8) cm, upper pair slightly larger than the others; apex rounded, emarginate; base acute, obtuse or rotund, sometimes slightly unequal-sided; upper surface minutely thinly puberulous all over (slightly rough to the touch), glabrescent; lower surface puberulous, especially more densely on the midrib.
Inflorescences paniculate, up to 27(-35) cm long, lateral branches up to c. 6(-12) cm long, both rachis and branches densely puberulous or pubescent; bracts foliaceous, broadly ovate, 4-7 mm long, puberulous on both surfaces, persistent; bracteoles ovate to lanceolate, c. 5 mm long, puberulous on both surfaces, persistent; pedicels up to c. 4 mm, puberulous.
Flowers: (siam Sind fl det BBGB18f13 )Calyx lobes 4, broadly elliptic, elliptic, or lanceolate, 7.5-9 by 3-3.5 mm, outside puberulous, bearing several spinescent outgrowths near the apex and often showing numerous warts all over, inside strigose. Petal 1, elliptic or slightly oblong-elliptic, 7-9 by 2.5-3 mm, fleshy, woolly outside, glabrous inside. Stamens: 10 (9+1), the united basal parts of filaments very short; free filaments 15-20 mm, slightly hairy at the lower part; fertile anthers various in size, the larger ones ovoid-ellipsoid, 3-3.5 mm long, the others smaller. Ovary subsessile, ellipsoid, flattend, c. 4.5 mm long, densely hirsute, with minute, spiny outergrowths, 3-8-ovuled; style up to c. 15 mm, recurvate, glabrous or sparsely hairy in the basal part; stigma capitate.
Pods on a very short peduncle, irregularly ovoid or broadly ellipsoid, 4-10 by 3.5-6.5 cm, flattened, covered with hard, straight, irregularly disposed spines (up to c. 4 mm); beak curvate, up to c. 7 mm long; 1-7-seeded (siamens Sindora pod/seed 255220 ; siam Sind pod BBGB18f13 ).
Seeds on top of a large aril, orbicular or broadly ellipsoid, flattened, 15-25 by 14 by 17 mm; aril (dry) cushion-shaped, c. 10 by 15 mm, irregular on the surface (siamens Sindora pod/seed 255220 ).
Distribution
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam; Malesia: Malay Peninsula (see Note 1).
Habitat & Ecology
In lowland forests. Flowering and fruiting in September. Pollination of the flowers is effected by flies.
Notes
1. There is only one collection of Sindora siamensis from the Malesian area, made by Ridley in Kelantan (cf. Whitmore, 1972: 272).
2. In var. siamensis the upper surface of the leaflet is minutely thinly puberulous and slightly rough to the touch. It is very characteristic and can be used to recognize the plants of this variety from other taxa in the Genus Sindora.
Uses
The wood is used for planking. See Foxworthy (1927: 272); Burkill (1935: 2033).