Aspidopterys A. Juss.

Climbing shrubs. Leaves opposite, entire, eglandular; stipules absent. Flowers in panicles or racemes, axillary or terminal; pedicels usually slender, bracteate at base, 2-bracteolate in middle or at apex. Calyx short, 5-partite, eglandular. Petals entire. Stamens 10, all perfect; filaments filiform, free or connate at base; anthers ovate, glabrous. Ovary 3-lobed; lobes flattened on back, winged along sides; styles 3, glabrous; stigmas capitellate. Samaras 3, surrounded by a wing; wing scutiform, ovate or orbicular, membranous, sometimes shortly crested in middle; seeds oblong, subterete; cotyledons straight, equal.

Tropical Asia, ca 32 species, 14 species in India of which 6 species and 1 variety are endemic to India.

Literature. HUTCHINSON, J. (1917). A revision of Aapidopterys. Bull. Miac. Inform. 1917: 91 - 103.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Leaves glabrous or aparaely pubescent on nerves beneath

2

b. Leaves densely pubescent beneath

8

2a. Inflorescence reduced to axillary fascicles; samaras truncate at apex

2. Aspidopterys canarensis

b. Inflorescence well-developed, paniculate or many-branched cymes; samaras not truncate at top, or merely sinuate-truncate

3

3a. Samaras oblong, linear-oblong or ovate-lanceolale

4

b. Samaras orbicular or suborbicular

7

4a. Calyx and pedicels glabrous above articulation

5

b. Calyx and pedicels pubescent above articulation

6

5a. Leaves lanceolate; pedicels in fruits 15-18 mm long; samaras ovate-elliptic

9. Aspidopterys jainii

b. Leaves elliptic or ovate-elliptic; pedicels in fruits up to 8 mm long; samaras oblong or oblong-lanecolate

5. Aspidopterys floribunda

6a. Samaras elongate and narrow, almost equally broad at both ends

8. Aspidopterys indica

b. Samaras ovate or lanceolale, narrow towards apex

6. Aspidopterys glabriuscula

7a. Samaras 4.5 - 6.5 x 5 - 6 cm, coriaceous

4. Aspidopterys elliptica

b. Samaras ca 3 x 1.5 - 2.5 cm, membranous

12. Aspidopterys oxyphylla

8a. Branches and leaves covered with long, flaccid spreading hairs; samaras linear-oblong

7. Aspidopterys hirsuta

b. Branches and leaves not as above; samaras orbicular to suborbicular

9

9a. Leaves abruptly terminated by broad-based acuminate tip

3. Aspidopterys cordata

b. Leaves not as above

10

10a. Samara wings auricled at base

1. Aspidopterys balakrishnanii

b. Samara wings not auricled at base

11

11a. Leaves coriaceous, abruptly cuspidate at apex

13. Aspidopterys tomentosa

b. Leaves herbaceous, acuminate at apex

12

12a. Samaras cristate on dorsal wing

11. Aspidopterys orbiculata

b. Samaras ecrislate

13

13a. Leaves and inflorescences white-woolly or tomentose;samaras retuse at apex

14. Aspidopterys wallichii

b. Leaves and inflorescences rusty or flavid-villous; samaras rounded at apex

10. Aspidopterys nutans

List of Lower Taxa