Taxillus Tiegh.

Shrubs; juvenile parts covered with candelabra hairs mixed with stellate hairs and/or abietiform hairs mixed with stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, opposite or subopposite, sessile or petiolate, glabrous above and hairy beneath as in juvenile parts or glabrous on both surfaces, palmati-pinnate and curvipinnate. Inflorescence simple dichasium, reduced dichasium or compound dichasium; flower buds spathulate or ventricose. Flowers bracteate, ebracteolate, zygomorphic, sympetalous, 4 or 5-merous. Calyculus obsolete or present and lobed. Petals 4 or 5, united; tube terete or ventricose; lobes 4 or 5, unilaterally reflexed or obliquely erect after anthesis. Stamens 4 or 5, erect; filaments terete or subterete; anthers isothecate or anisothecate, with or without sterile apex. Ovary attenuated toward base; style tetragonous, tumid or continuous; stigma capitate or subglobose, smooth. Fruits pseudocarps, smooth or papillate or with reticulate markings, glabrous or hairy.

South and South-east Asia from Indian subcontinent to Malesia, ca 35 species; 13 species in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Leaves opposite or both opposite and alternate; flowers tetramerous; hairs when present in flowers both of candelabra and stellate types

2

b. Leaves always alternate; flowers pentamerous; hairs when present in flowers both of abietiform and stellate types

9

2a. Flower buds clavate or spathulate

3

b. Flower buds ventricose

7

3a. Inflorescence simple dichasium

9. Taxillus reflexilobus

b. Inflorescence compound dichasium

4

4a. Midrib evanescent towards apex

5

b. Midrib extending up to apex

6

5a. Branchlets glabrous; leaves attenuate at apex; peduncles 5 – 8-flowered; calyculus obsolete

7. Taxillus kuijtii

b. Branchlets hairy; leaves acute to obtuse at apex; peduncles 3 – 4-flowered; calyculus not obsolete

12. Taxillus umbellifer

6a. Lenticels circular; bark brown or black; petioles 10 - 12 mm long; flower buds subtetragonous with clavate apex; ovary cupular, slightly rugulose

10. Taxillus rugosus

b. Lenticels elliptic; bark purplish brown; petioles 5 - 8 mm long; flower buds terete with globose apex; ovary oblong-cylindric, smooth

5. Taxillus erectiflorus

7a. Mature leaves clothed with candelabra hairs mixed with pale brown stellate hairs beneath; inflorescence simple dichasium; corolla-lobes spathulate; ovary subturbinate

13. Taxillus vestitus

b. Mature leaves glabrous on both surfaces; inflorescence reduced dichasium; corolla-lobes elliptic or ovate; ovary turbinate

8

8a. Leaves petiolate; flowers pedicellate; bracts ovate, shorter than ovary; flower buds clavate with conical apex

1. Taxillus assamicus

b. Leaves sessile or subsessile; flowers sessile; bracts obovate, longer than ovary; flower buds ventricose

4. Taxillus danserianus

9a. Bracts longer than calyculus

10

b. Bracts shorter than calyculus

11

10a. Leaves narrowly obovate; lateral nerves curvipinnate; bracts elliptic, one-time longer than ovary; flower buds rounded at apex; calyculus and corolla ultimately becoming glabrous

2. Taxillus courtallensis

b. Leaves orbicular to suborbicular; lateral nerves palmatipinnate; bracts obovate, 3 or 4-times longer than ovary; flower buds clavate at apex; calyculus and corolla with persistent hairs

6. Taxillus heyneanus

11a. Corolla glabrous; anthers multilocellate; ovary oblong-cylindric; endosperm horned

3. Taxillus cuneatus

b. Corolla clothed with abietiform hairs mixed with stellate hairs; anthers quadrilocellate; ovary subturbinate; endosperm hornless

12

12a. Nodes meristematically knotty; inflorescence simple dichasium; calyculus irregularly lobed; anthers without sterile apex; style articulated; endosperm punctate in upper quarter region

8. Taxillus recurvus

b. Nodes not meristematically knotty; inflorescence reduced dichasium; calyculus regularly toothed; anthers with sterile apex; style not articulated; endosperm completely smooth

11. Taxillus tomentosus

List of Lower Taxa