Polyalthia cerasoides (Roxb.) Bedd. - ANNONACEAE

Basionym : Uvaria cerasoides Roxb.

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Botanical descriptions Habitat and ecology Distribution

Botanical descriptions :

Diagnostic characters : Horizontal twigs, seed ruminate.
Habit : Deciduous tree up to 10 m tall.
Trunk & bark : Bole straight, bark grey-brown, smooth, sometimes with few lenticels.
Branches and branchlets or twigs : Twigs terete, glabrous or finely hairy.
Exudates : Exudate absent.
Leaves : Leaves simple, alternate and distichous, lanceolate, apex acute, base rounded or acute, glabrous or finely hairy, margin entire.
Midrib canaliculate, primary vein single, secondary veins obtuse, tertiary veins reticulate.
Stipules absent.
Inflorescences or flowers : Flowers arranged in a 1- or few-flowered inflorescence, axillary or on short shoots, bisexual, pedicels longer than 0.5 cm.
Fruits : Fruitlets up to 0.6 cm in diameter, in clusters of 1-seeded berry-like fruits.
Seeds : Seed 1.

Habitat and ecology :

Common in evergreen and deciduous forest.

Distribution :

Burma (Myanmar), South China, India, Indochina, Thailand, Laos (Khammouan).

Remark/notes/uses :
Wood sometimes used for veneer and plywood, ripe fruitlets edible.

Specimens studied :
BT 79, BT 375, BT 416, BT 928 (Herbarium of Faculty of Sciences-NUoL, NHN-Leiden and CIRAD-Montpellier).

Literature :
Gardner S., Sidisunthorn, P. & Anusarnsunthorn, V. 2000. A field guide to Forest Trees of Northern Thailand. Kobfai Publishing Project. Bangkok. Thailand.
Hoang Van Sam, Khamseng Nanthavong & P.J.A. Keßler. 2004. Trees of Laos and Vietnam. Blumea 49: 201--349.

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