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(Last Modified On 5/9/2013)
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(Last Modified On 5/9/2013)
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Genus
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Simaba Aubl.
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PlaceOfPublication
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Hist. PI. Guiane Fr. 1: 400. 1775.
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Synonym
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Aruba Aubl., op. cit. 1: 293. 1775. Zwingera Schreb., Gen. PI. 2: 802. 1791. Homalolepis Turcz., Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 21(1): 575. 1848. Odyendyea (Pierre) Engl., Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(4): 215. 1896.
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Description
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Trees or shrubs, rarely suffrutescent and the leaves all basal, all parts quite bitter to the taste. Leaves alternate, usually even-pinnate, sometimes only the terminal leaflet present and the leaf appearing simple; leaflets (1-)4-40, usually opposite, entire, petioluled to sessile. Inflorescences usually large terminal or axillary panicles, sometimes reduced to axillary, few-flowered, umbel-like clusters or to umbel-like panicles. Flowers small to large, 4-5-merous, bisexual; sepals 4-, connate at least basally, imbricate; petals 4-5, free, pubescent, imbricate, more or less spreading at anthesis; stamens 8-10, appendaged basally, the filament adnate to the pubescent appendage only basally to throughout its length; intra- staminal disc conspicuous, elongating in fruit; gynoecium 4-5-carpelled, the carpels sessile on the disc, 1-loculed, cohering or weakly connate axially to form a deeply 4-5-lobed ovary, the ovules 1 per locule, pendulous, placentation axile, the style 1, the stigma capitate to slightly lobed. Fruit a drupe, 1-5 per flower; seeds 1.
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Habit
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Trees or shrubs
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Distribution
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Perhaps 30 species, most in tropical America, but a few in tropical Africa.
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Note
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Nooteboom (Blumea 11: 518-524. 1962) reduced the genus to a section of Quassia, recognizing 32 species, including one from Malaysia and two from Australia. Quassia and Simaba certainly are closely related, but they are best considered separate genera.
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Reference
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Cronquist, A. Studies in the Simaroubaceae. III. The genus Simaba. Lloydia 7: 81-92. 1944.
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