Description:
Andromonoecious trees ca. 15 m tall. Leaves (26–)35–115 cm long (incl. petiole); leaflets 9–13, papyraceous to subcoriaceous, narrowly obovate-elliptic to oblanceolate, 10–40 × 4–10.5 cm (the lateral ones generally reduced), primary vein slightly raised above, very prominent beneath, secondary veins ca. 8–20 per side, prominent on both surfaces, slightly if at all curved from the midvein, generally branching about 2/3–3/4 of the way to the margin, the branches then curving somewhat, tertiary veins evident, forming a dense network, the apex broadly acute to rounded, the margin entire to irregularly crenate-undulate, minutely thickened, often revolute, the base attenuate ; petiolules 1–4.5 cm long; petiole stout, 15–70 cm long, the base clasping, slightly inflated and often somewhat pustular lenticellate, the ligulate stipule very short, the margins subcoriaceous. Inflorescence paniculate-umbellate, terminal, erect (?), the bracts very early caducous, the primary axis stout, ca. 20 cm long (or longer?), the secondary axes ca. 8–12, forming 1–2 median pseudo-whorls in addition to a terminal, umbellate cluster, each ca. 7–12 cm long at anthesis, expanding up to 17(–20?) cm in fruit, tertiary axes ca. 8–14 per secondary axis, arranged in 1–2 median pseudo-whorls and a terminal umbellate cluster, each ca. 1–1.5 cm long at anthesis, expanding slightly in fruit, bearing a terminal umbellule of ca. 5–10 protandrous, hermaphroditic flowers and 1–2(–3?) clustered bract scars along its length, these often subtending a small axillary umbellule of 3–5 staminate flowers, pedicels of the hermaphroditic flowers ca. 3–4 mm long at anthesis, expanding to 5–8 mm in fruit, those of the staminate flowers 1–2 mm long. Calyx broadly cupuliform, ca. 0.5 mm high at anthesis, the rim irregularly undulate. Corolla obovoid to subglobose in bud, the petals 5(–7), spreading to recurved at anthesis, triangular-ovate, sometimes narrowly so, 3–4 mm long. Stamens 5(–7), erect at anthesis, the filaments slender, ca. 2.5 mm long, the anthers cream white, 1.8–2 mm long, elliptic, with 8 thecae. Ovary 5–7-carpellate, broadly turbinate-urniform (vestigial in staminate flowers), surmounted by a flat to shallowly concave, slightly ruminate nectar disk, styles 5–7, ca. 0.6–1 mm long in hermaphroditic flowers (vestigial and undivided in staminate flowers), united for 1/2–2/3 of their length, the free arms erect at anthesis, diverging and elongating slightly in fruit (vestigial and undivided in staminate flowers). Mature fruit subglobose or oblate to depressed ovoid, 4–5 mm high, 4.5–6 mm wide, strongly ribbed when dry, with a small ring surrounding the somewhat contracted nectar disk, the base truncate to depressed-concave.
|