Cinnamomum paiei Kosterm.

13. Cinnamomum paiei Kosterm. View in CoL — Map 4 View Map 4

Cinnamomum paiei Kosterm. (1988) 448. — Type: Ilias & Mamit S 29332 View Materials (holo L; iso BO, SAN, SAR, SING ), Sarawak, Bau district, Bungo Range.

Tree to 12 m tall, 20 cm diam. Twigs slender, terete, c. 3 mm diam, apically angular, glabrous, brown, concolorous with leaf blade. Terminal buds not perulate, conical, c. 2 mm long, densely covered with straight appressed hairs. Leaves opposite to subopposite, pale greenish brown, trinerved, coriaceous, glabrous, young leaves covered with straight appressed hairs and becoming glabrescent with the remnant of indumentum always present at midrib of mature leaves; blade not bullate, without domatia, oblong-ovate, 12– 20 by 3.5 –7 cm, base cuneate, apex acute, often gnawed; midrib raised on both sides, c. 1 mm broad; lateral veins raised on both sides, extending to the leaf tip; major intercostal veins slender, scalariform to subscalariform, 2 – 3 mm apart, less prominent than midrib; minor intercostal veins faint, reticulate; petiole stout, flat above, 0.5–1 cm long, 2 mm diam, drying brownish, concolorous with leaf blade. Inflorescences unknown. Infructescences terminal, stout, paniculate-cymose with third order branching, c. 20 cm long; rachis c. 2 mm broad, appressed hairy. Fruits ellipsoid, c. 1 by 0.5 cm; cupule cup-shaped, deep, c. 5 mm high, c. 8 mm diam, rim entire, not undulating glabrous, outer wall smooth; perianth lobes caducous; pedicel stout, obconical, c. 4 mm long, c. 2 mm diam, minute-appressed hairy.

Distribution — Endemic to Borneo, known only in Sarawak (Bau, Sri Aman and Tatau districts).

Habitat & Ecology — Mixed dipterocarp forest on sandy clay soil at altitudes to 850 m.

Vernacular names — Kayu buan, Tabar (both Iban), Medang lawang (Malay) , Tiburus obau (Dayak).

Uses — Decoction of boiled root is used as tonic drink, for flatulence and for uterus contraction after delivery ( S 68813 View Materials ).

Note — This species resembles C. sintoc in having a similar cupule that is deeply cup-shaped with an entire rim. However C. paiei can be differentiated from C. sintoc by its oblong-ovate leaves, 12– 20 by 3.5 –7 cm (vs elliptic to ovate-elliptic, (8–)9 –13(–20) by 3– 5(–8) cm), lateral veins extending to the leaf tip (vs extending to 1/2– 2/3 the length of the leaf blade) and scalariform major intercostal veins (vs scalariform-reticulate).