Microcos fibrocarpa (Mast.) Burret

Chung, R. C. K. & Soepadmo, E., 2011, Taxonomic revision of the genus Microcos (Malvaceae-Grewioideae) in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, Blumea 56 (3), pp. 273-299 : 280-281

3. Microcos fibrocarpa (Mast.) Burret — Fig. 5 ; Map 3

Microcos fibrocarpa (Mast.) Burret (1926) 782; Phengklai (1986) 54, f. 24; (1993) 38, f. 24; I.M.Turner (1997) 487; R.C.K. Chung et al. (2005b) 108. — Grewia fibrocarpa Mast. (1874) 391; King (1891) 111; Ridl. (1922) 301; Kochummen (1973) 397; Corner (1988) 733. — Lectotype ( Chung et al. 2005b): Maingay 1080 (holo K [with flower buds and fruits]; iso K, 2 sheets), Peninsular Malaysia, Malacca.

Grewia erythrocarpa Ridl. (1920) 174, p.p. (quoad specim. Wray 599); Ridl. (1922) 301, p.p.

Small tree to 15 m tall, dbh to 20 cm; buttresses to 60 cm high. Outer bark smooth or dippled, greyish brown to brown; inner bark orange-red to brown; sapwood white; heartwood light red. Twigs smooth, greyish brown to brown, densely covered with tufted hairs when young, glabrescent when older. Stipules 4–7 mm long, 4 –6-parted, lobes linear, 3– 6 mm long, densely covered with tufted hairs on both sides, caducous to persistent. Leaves yellowish green to olive-green on both sides, chartaceous, minutely scabrous or densely covered with simple and tufted hairs on midrib and secondary veins above, densely covered with soft simple and tufted hairs beneath; petioles (5–) 7–15 mm long, 1.5 – 2.5(– 3) mm thick, yellowish brown, apically not swollen, densely covered with tufted hairs; blade elliptic, oblong, or sometimes broadly elliptic, obovate or rarely ovate, equilateral or sometimes inequilateral, (11–)13– 24(–29) by 4 –10(–12) cm, base obtuse or rounded, margin distantly and obscurely serrulate, undulate, ciliate, apex shortly and abruptly acuminate, acumen (0.5–)1– 2.5(–3) cm long with a pointed tip; midrib and secondary veins impressed above, raised beneath; secondary veins 7–10 pairs, basal pair reaching between 0.25 and 0.5 of blade length, forming an angle of 45° with the midrib; domatia absent; tertiary veins (sub-)scalariform, slightly impressed and obscure above, thin but prominent beneath. Inflorescences Type A and Type B panicles, terminal or axillary, (1–)2– 5(–6) cm long, densely covered with tufted hairs; bracts 4– 6-parted, lobes linear or lanceolate, 2– 6 mm long, densely covered with tufted hairs on both sides, persistent or caducous; involucral bracts of outer whorl 5 – 6 mm long, 2-parted, lobes narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, 3 – 4 mm long, apex acute, smooth outside, densely covered with tufted hairs on both sides, that of inner whorl lanceolate, 3.5 – 6 by 1–1.5 mm, apex acute, densely covered with tufted hairs on both sides. Flower buds obovoid, 4– 8 by 3.5 – 5 mm, densely covered with tufted hairs; pedicels 0.9–1.2 mm long, c. 1 mm thick, densely covered with tufted hairs; sepals linear or elliptic, 8 –11 by 2 – 2.5 mm, densely covered with tufted hairs outside, sparsely covered with tufted hairs inside; petals 5, oblong, 2 –3.3 by 0.5 –1 mm, apex truncate, outside sparsely covered with tufted hairs at base to c. 0.25 of its length and glabrous towards the apex, inside densely covered with tufted hairs around the glands to c. 0.5 of its length and glabrous towards the apex; glands obovoid; androgynophore concave in outline, 1–1.5 mm long, 0.5 – 0.8 mm diam, striate, glabrous, apical part slightly expanded outwards, with undulate rim covered with tufted hairs; stamens with filaments 4.5–5.5 mm long, glabrous, anthers c. 0.5 mm diam; ovary 3-locular, broadly ovoid or globose, 1.5 – 2 mm diam, broadly ovate in cross section, densely covered with tufted hairs; style 4 – 5 mm long, glabrous. Infructescences densely covered with tufted hairs. Fruits ripening orange to red, obovoid, smooth, 2 – 3 by 1– 2 cm, drying yellowish brown, densely covered with tufted hairs; apex rounded, without pseudostalk; exocarp membranous; mesocarp 4 – 6 mm thick; endocarp thin-coriaceous. Fertile pyrene 1, 1-seeded, 7–10 mm long; sterile pyrene inconspicuous.

Distribution — Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.

Habitat & Ecology — In mixed dipterocarp forest on sandstone or acidic rock; on gently sloping hillsides, ridge tops or sometimes along river banks, at 90 –600 m altitude. Flowering and fruiting all year round.

Vernacular names — Asam damat, chenderai asam, chenderai hutan, chenderai paya, chenderai rimba, damak-damak asam, damak-damak bulu (Malay).

Uses — Ripe fruits edible (Mohd. Shah & Ahmad MS 3241, Van Balgooy 2195 and Whitmore FRI 12845).

Note — This species is morphologically similar to M. globulifera (see note under M. globulifera ).

Figures

Map 3 Distribution of Microcos fibrocarpa (Mast.) Burret in Peninsular Malaysia.

Fig. 5 Microcos fibrocarpa (Mast.) Burret. a. Flowering leafy twig; b. detail of abaxial leaf surface near midrib; c. flower buds surrounded by involucral bracts; d. flower; e. longitudinal section of flower; f. flower with sepals and petals removed; g. abaxial surface of petal; h. adaxial surface of petal with gland at base; i. fruit; j. longitudinal section of fruit (a–d, f –h: Maingay 1082; e: Chan FRI 6730; i, j: Kiah SFN 32009). — Drawn by J. Pao, SAR.