Sindora siamensis Teijsmann ex Miquel var. siamensis
Morphological description siamensis Sindora compl FT25
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: 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 ).
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.
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).