Excoecaria oppositifolia
Griff. in Calcutta J. Nat. Hist. 4: 386. 1844; Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India
5: 474. 1888; Kanjilal et al., Fl. Assam 4: 208. 1940; Chakrab. & M.Gangop. in J. Econ. Taxon. Bot.
18: 207. 1994. E. aboriana R.N.De in Indian Forester 69: 395. 1943.
Abor: Gammong-asing; Asm.: Dudhgoch; Cach.: Ponsum; Kh.: Dieng-jam; Mikir:
Theng-bri.
Trees, 5 - 15 m tall. Leaves opposite, narrowly oblong to elliptic-oblong or occasionally widely elliptic, acute to obtuse at base, shallowly crenate-serrate or dentate to entire, acute to acuminate or caudate at apex, (6 -) 10 - 30 x 3 - 10 (- 15) cm, thinly coriaceous, glabrous, glossy above; lateral nerves 10 - 22 pairs; petioles 5 - 30 mm long, eglandular; stipules subulate, ca 3 mm long. Male flowers: sessile, on slender terminal and axillary, 5 - 22 cm long spikes; bracts broadly ovate, suborbicular or flabellate, denticulate or entire, 1.5 - 2 x 0.8 - 2 mm, glandular at base, 1-flowered; sepals 3, ovate-oblong to suborbicular, lacerate-dentate to erose or occasionally subentire along margins, 1 - 1.5 x 0.8 - 1.3 mm; stamens 2 - 3, 1.5 - 2 mm long. Female flowers: solitary or up to 3 in terminal or axillary inflorescences; bracts ovate, ca 1.5 x 1 mm, glandular at base; pedicels 1 – 5 mm long; sepals 3, broadly ovate to triangular, 2 - 3.5 x 1.5 - 3 mm; ovary subglobose, 1.5 - 2 mm in diam., narrowed into a robust style, 3 - 7 mm long, with 1 - 2 mm long column and 3 recurved subulate branches, each often bifid. Fruits depressed, subglobose, shallowly or sometimes deeply 3-lobed, 4 - 6 cm across.
Fl. April - June; Fr. July - Dec.
Distrib. India: Primary forests, at low altitudes. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya.
Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indo-China and Thailand.
Uses. Timber used for construction of house.
Notes. The acrid milky latex is violently poisonous and corrosive.
The original specimens (Novara 194, Jelinek 246) cited by Kurz (J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal., Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 45(2): 148. 1876) from Great Nicobar Island were not found in CAL. There is no subsequent collection of this species from Great Nicobar Island.
Trees, 5 - 15 m tall. Leaves opposite, narrowly oblong to elliptic-oblong or occasionally widely elliptic, acute to obtuse at base, shallowly crenate-serrate or dentate to entire, acute to acuminate or caudate at apex, (6 -) 10 - 30 x 3 - 10 (- 15) cm, thinly coriaceous, glabrous, glossy above; lateral nerves 10 - 22 pairs; petioles 5 - 30 mm long, eglandular; stipules subulate, ca 3 mm long. Male flowers: sessile, on slender terminal and axillary, 5 - 22 cm long spikes; bracts broadly ovate, suborbicular or flabellate, denticulate or entire, 1.5 - 2 x 0.8 - 2 mm, glandular at base, 1-flowered; sepals 3, ovate-oblong to suborbicular, lacerate-dentate to erose or occasionally subentire along margins, 1 - 1.5 x 0.8 - 1.3 mm; stamens 2 - 3, 1.5 - 2 mm long. Female flowers: solitary or up to 3 in terminal or axillary inflorescences; bracts ovate, ca 1.5 x 1 mm, glandular at base; pedicels 1 – 5 mm long; sepals 3, broadly ovate to triangular, 2 - 3.5 x 1.5 - 3 mm; ovary subglobose, 1.5 - 2 mm in diam., narrowed into a robust style, 3 - 7 mm long, with 1 - 2 mm long column and 3 recurved subulate branches, each often bifid. Fruits depressed, subglobose, shallowly or sometimes deeply 3-lobed, 4 - 6 cm across.
Fl. April - June; Fr. July - Dec.
Distrib. India: Primary forests, at low altitudes. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Assam and Meghalaya.
Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indo-China and Thailand.
Uses. Timber used for construction of house.
Notes. The acrid milky latex is violently poisonous and corrosive.
The original specimens (Novara 194, Jelinek 246) cited by Kurz (J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal., Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 45(2): 148. 1876) from Great Nicobar Island were not found in CAL. There is no subsequent collection of this species from Great Nicobar Island.
