Mitrephora Hook. f. & Thomson

Trees. Leaves coriaceous, strongly ribbed. Flowers bisexual or rarely unisexual, usually terminal or leaf-opposed, extra-axillary. Sepals 3, orbicular or ovate, valvate. Petals 6 (3 + 3), valvate in buds; outer ones larger than inner, ovate, elliptic-oblong, veined; inner ones usually thin, narrowly long-clawed at base, mitriform and cohering by their edges above, free below. Stamens many, oblong, cuneate; anther-thecae remote, concealed by the flat -topped connectives. Carpels oblong or clavate, ventrally furrowed; ovules up to 4, 2-seriate; styles oblong or clavate; stigma capitate. Torus hairy. Ripe carpels globose or ovoid, stalked or subsessile, 2 - 3-seeded.

Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indo-china, E. Asia to Malesia, Australia and New Zealand; ca 25 species, 5 species in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Outer petals lanceolate

2

b. Outer petals broadly elliptic or ovate

3

2a. Leaves 6 - 10 cm long, glabrous; outer petals narrowly clawed at

4. Mitrephora heyneana

b. Leaves 12 - 26 cm long, softly tomentose beneath; outer petals not clawed at the base, densely brown tomentose

5. Mitrephora tomentosa

3a. Shrubs; outer petals less than 1 cm long

1. Mitrephora andamanica

b. Trees; outer petals more than 1 cm long

4

4a. Sepals 4 - 5 mm long; outer petals ca 3 times as long as broad

2. Mitrephora grandiflora

b. Sepals ca 10 mm long; outer petals ca as long as broad

3. Mitrephora harae

List of Lower Taxa