Maytenus Molina

Small trees or shrubs; branchlets glabrous; stipulate or exstipulate; spines present or not. Leaves spiral or alternate, variable in shape and texture. Flowers bisexual, rarely unisexual, in axillary or extra-axillary cymes. Sepals 4-5-lobed. Petals 4-5, reflexed. Stamens inserted on the margin of the disc. Disc flat or cupular. Ovary immersed in the disc, emerging part subglobose or triangular, 3-loculed, rarely 2-loculed; ovules 2 in each locule; stigmas 3. Capsule subglobose, loculicidal, 2-6-seeded. Seeds ellipsoid, arillate.

Tropics and subtropics of the world; ca 60 species, 18 in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Branches armed

2

b. Branches unanned

13

2a. Spines bearing leaves and flowers

3

b. Spines not bearing leaves and flowers

5

3a. Fruits globose; ovary 2 loculed; branchlets not zig zag

14. Maytenus senegalensis

b. Fruits turbinate; ovary 3-loculed; branchlets zig zag

4

4a. Aril attached to the base of the seed; leaves crenate; inflorescence 2.5 cm long

18. Maytenus wallichii

b. Aril embracing the seed base; leaves entire; inflorescence 1 cm long

3. Maytenus emarginata

5a. Flowers in cymes only

6

b. Flowers in cymes or in fascicles

12

6a. Aril embracing about half of the seed

7

b. Aril embracing the seed base only

8

7a. Stigma trilobed; arit thick

6. Maytenus heyneana

b. Stigma simple; aril thin

4. Maytenus falconeri

8a. Cymes longer than the leaves

1. Maytenus bailadillana

b. Cymes shorter than the leaves

9

9a. Leaves ovate-obovate

10

b. Leaves oblong-lanceolate

11

10a. Leaves membranous, obscurely crenate

5. Maytenus gibsonii

b. Leaves coriaceous, serrate

12. Maytenus royleanus

11a. Inflorescence reddish

13. Maytenus rufa

b. Inflorescence yellowish green

7. Maytenus hookeri

12a. Fruits obovoid, 6-seeded

9. Maytenus ovatus

b. Fruits broadly-obovate, 2-seeded

17. Maytenus thomsonii

13a. Flowers arising from the old leaf-scars.

15. Maytenus sikkimensis

b. Flowers not arising from the old leaf-scars

14

14a. Cymes 2-3 times forked; leaves narrowly lanceolate

16. Maytenus simonsii

b. Cymes not forked; leaves obovate or ovate

15

15a. Leaves ovate

16

b. Leaves obovate

17

16a. Sepals minutely ciliate; leaf margin serrate

2. Maytenus championii

b. Sepals not minutely ciliate; leaf margin entire

8. Maytenus listeri

17a. Ovary half embeded in the disc; leaves coriaceous, glabrous on both sides; cymes sessile or nearly so

11. Maytenus rothiana

b. Ovary fully embeded in the disc; leaves membranous, pubescent on veins beneath; cymes on 2-5 cm long peduncles

10. Maytenus puberula

List of Lower Taxa