Engelhardtia spicata Blume - JUGLANDACEAE

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Botanical descriptions Habitat and ecology Distribution

Botanical descriptions :

Diagnostic characters : Deciduous trees, bark fissured. Leaves compound, leaflets opposite. Flowers unisexual on the same tree, minute. Fruit a winged nut.
Habit : Deciduous tree up to 20 m tall.
Trunk & bark : Bole straight. Bark grey or grey-brown, deeply fissured.
Branches and branchlets or twigs : Twigs terete, glabrous.
Exudates : Exudate absent.
Leaves : Leaves compound, alternate and spiral, impar- or pari-pinnate, leaflets narrowly ovate or elliptic, with yellow glandular dots, margin entire.
Primary vein single, secondary veins obtuse, tertiary veins somewhat reticulate.
Stipules absent.
Inflorescences or flowers : Flowers arranged in a many-flowered inflorescence, axillary, on leafless twigs, unisexual, on the same tree, pedicels up to 3 mm long.
Fruits : Fruit up to 3.5 cm long, 3-winged nutlet, not splitting open.
Seeds : Seed 1.

Habitat and ecology :

Not common in undisturbed and disturbed, deciduous and evergreen forest.

Distribution :

India (North), China (Hainan), Malay Peninsula, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Lesser Sunda islands), Philippines, Thailand, Indochina, Laos (Khammouan).

Remark/notes/uses :
Timber is used for light indoor construction work but is not durable. The bark contains much tannin, this and the leaves are used as a fish intoxicant.

Specimens studied :
BT 824, LAO 182, LAO 287, LAO 318, LAO 902 (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.

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