Chisocheton Blume

Trees, with an indumentum of simple, or rarely stellate hairs. Leaves pinnate, pseudogemmulate, sometimes imparipinnate, rarely paripinnate; leaflets 2 - 28 pairs, usually opposite. Flowers in axillary or supraaxillary panicles, rarely caulitlorous or epiphyllous, generally bracteolate, unisexual. Calyx cup-shaped, entire along margins or 3 - 6-lobed, sometimes splitting irregularly. Petals usually 4 - 5, free, linear, elongate, imbricate or valvate, rarely united below or adnate to base of staminaI tube. Staminal tube cylindrical, sometimes expanded at mouth, entire or crenate at margin or with 4 - 10(-30) simple or 2-lobed appendages; anthers 4 - 10(-30)-locellate, inserted in throat, included or partly exserted, rarely attached to margin. Antherodes very slender, without pollen. Disk usually absent, if present, stipitate, annular or patelliform. Ovary 2 8-locular; locules usually 1-,rarely 2-ovuled; style filiform; stigma small, capitate, clavate or discoid. Pistillode slender, with or without vestigial ovules. Fruit usually a 2 - 5-valved loculicidal capsule; valves 1( -2)-seeded; pericarp leathery or woody; seeds obovoid-globose, with red or orange aril.

Indo-Malesian region to Vanuatu and Tropical China with ca 50 species; 2 in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Leaves 30 - 100 cm long; leaflets 12(-15) pairs; panicles to 1 m long; flowers pale yellow; capaules pyriform, 4 - 9 cm across

1. Chisocheton cumingianus

b. Leaves 20 - 60 cm long; leaflets to 8 pairs; panicles to 60 cm long; flowers white; capsules globose, ca 3.5 cm

2. Chisocheton nicobarianus

List of Lower Taxa