Walsura pinnata Hassk. - MELIACEAE

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Botanical descriptions Habitat and ecology Distribution

Botanical descriptions :

Habit : Evergreen tree up to 10 m. tall, rounded canopy, up to 20 cm in DBH.
Trunk & bark : Trunk very finely cracked to smooth, densely lenticellate; bark light brown, outer bark light reddish, inner bark light brown.
Branches and branchlets or twigs : Branches covered by brown hairs, and lenticellate.
Exudates : Exudate absent.
Leaves : Imparipinnately compound leaves, alternate, rachis up to 7 cm. long, swollen at the base, opposite leaflets 1-3 (4), oblong to lanceolate, terminal leaflet 4-6 x 10-15 cm., lateral leaflets 1-2 x 2-5 cm. in length, apex caudate, base acute, margin entire, glabrous on both surfaces, upper surface dark green, pale on lower surface.
Primary vein single, secondary veins oblique, about 6-12 pairs, prominent below, tertiary veins indistinctly reticulate. Petiolule very short or sessile.
Inflorescences or flowers : Inflorescence light green, axillary panicle, shorter than leaf, covered with hairs and yellowish punctate glands. Flowers white, bisexual, ovate up to 4-5 mm. in diameter, light green, sessile.
Fruits : Fruit is a berry-like, globose about 1 cm. in diameter, yellow, pubescent.
Seeds : One seed enveloped by reddish-brown aril. .

Habitat and ecology :

In evergreen or open degraded forests from 200 to 400 m. altitude.

Distribution :

China, Malay peninsula, through to Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

Remark/notes/uses :
The yellow wood is used for constructions purposes, particularly for houses. The bark and fruits are rich in tannins and are used in a decoction against diarrhoea and dysentery.

Specimens studied :
BT 95 and Maxwell 98-433 (Herbarium of Faculty of Sciences-NUoL, NHN-Leiden and CIRAD-Montpellier).

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