Cinnamomum porrectum (Roxb.) Kosterm.

17. Cinnamomum porrectum (Roxb.) Kosterm. View in CoL — Map 6 View Map 6

Cinnamomum porrectum (Roxb.) Kosterm. (1952) View in CoL 27; (1970b) 60; Argent et al. (1997) 310; Beaman et al. (2001) 400. — Laurus porrectum Roxb. [(1814) 30] (1832) 308. — Camphora porrecta (Roxb.) Voigt (1845) View in CoL 308. — Parthenoxylon View in CoL porrectum (Roxb.) Blume (1851) 323. — Type: Roxburgh s.n. (holo P,barcode P00476750),Hortus Botanicus Calcuttensis, annotated on ex Herbario Musei Britannici ‘Roxburgh, India’, on a ticket with the annotation ‘ Laurus View in CoL , Caya-ghadice’.

Laurus parthenoxylon Jack (1820) View in CoL 28. — Camphora parthenoxylon (Jack) Nees (1831) View in CoL 72. — Sassafras parthenoxylon (Jack) Nees (1836) View in CoL 491, 657. — Cinnamomum parthenoxylon (Jack) Meisn. (1864) View in CoL 26, 504; Masam. (1942) 308; F.G. Browne (1955) 215; Smythies (1965) 75; P.F. Burgess (1966) 332; J.A.R. Anderson (1980) 222. — Type: Jack s.n. (BR n.v.), Sumatra (fide Kostermans 1970b: 60).

Camphora inodora Blume ex Miq. (1958) View in CoL 904. — Cinnamomum inodorum (Blume ex Miq.) Meisn. (1864) View in CoL 26. — Type: Korthals s.n. (L), Borneo.

Cinnamomum penninervium Kosterm. (1969) 461, syn. nov. — Type: Anon. bb 5700 (holo BO; iso K, L), Indonesia, West Sumatra, Tapanuli, Kg. Pandumaan.

(for further synonyms and types see Kostermans 1970b;for further synonyms in East Asia see Li et al. (2008) under Cinnamomum parthenoxylon )

Tree to 50 m high, to 60 cm diam. Bark fissured, reddish or brownish; inner bark laminated, reddish brown, fragrant; sapwood yellowish white. Twigs terete, 2– 5 mm diam, glabrous and striated, brownish. Terminal buds perulate, domed shaped, c. 5 by 4 mm, with many tiered scales which after falling leaving a collar of scars in the twig, scales covered with straight appressed hairs. Leaves alternate, penninerved, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, hairy pocketed domatia present at proximal ends of lateral veins, glabrous below; blade elliptic, ovate or obovate, 4 –17 by 2– 8 cm, base cuneate, narrowly cuneate or rounded, apex acuminate, acumen to 2 cm long; midrib slender, to 1 mm broad, flat above, raised below; lateral veins slender, flat above and smoothly raised below, inarching and diminishing towards the leaf margin; intercostal veins reticulate; petiole 1–2.5 cm long, slender, grooved above. Inflorescences axillary, and/or subterminal, lax, slender, paniculate-cymose with first order of branching, (3–)4–7(–8) cm long, glabrous. Flowers glabrous, yellowish when fresh, appearing with the new flush, drying reddish; pedicel slender, 2 – 3 mm long; hypanthium campanulate, c. 1 mm high, conspicuous; perianth lobes elliptic, c. 1.5 mm long, glabrous outside, straight hairy on the inside; fertile stamens 1–1.5 mm long, anthers 4-locular, square, filaments c. 1/2 the length of the stamen; glands attached to short stalk at the base of filaments; staminodes sagittate, c. 1 mm long; ovary ellipsoid, c. 1.5 – 2 mm long, stigma subpeltate. Fruits globose, 5 – 6 mm diam; cupule funnel-shaped, c. 1 mm high, c. 0.5 mm diam, rim entire, glabrous; perianth lobes caducous; pedicel obconical, 9 –10 mm long, 2 – 4 mm diam at distal part, tapering to 1 mm diam at base.

Distribution — Sarawak (Kuching and Lundu districts), Sabah (Keningau, Kota Belud, Lahad Datu, Pensiangan, Ranau, Sandakan, Tambunan, Tawau and Tenom districts) and East Kalimantan. This species is widespread and is also distributed in India, China, Indochina and Thailand, Sumatra, Java and Peninsular Malaysia.

Habitat & Ecology — Lowland to montane forest at altitudes to 2000 m, often found in secondary vegetation.

Vernacular names — Bunsud (Kadazan), Keplah wangi, Ludong, Medang, Medang keplah, Medang sasi, Medang wangi (all Malay).

Uses — The wood is used for general construction and furniture making. It is resistant to insect attack because of its pronounced and persistent smell. The bark is used in flavouring food, as tonic for menstruation and as scent for soap. The roots are used medicinally against fever, and applied after childbirth. (For more details see Burkill 1966).

Notes — 1. The oldest name for this species is Laurus porrecta Roxb. which is considered as validly published in Hortus Bengalensis (Roxburgh 1814) with reference to the work of Marsden (1811) under ‘Cayoo-gaddess’ (see Robinson 1912).

2. This is a very polymorphic species in leaf size, shape and texture. On the basis of leaf type two forms can be distinguished, the first with a small less pointed leaf apex and thinly coriaceous lamina, the second with a larger leaf size and a more pointed leaf apex and chartaceous lamina. These might represent varieties and deserve further study. Despite the variatibility, C. porrectum is readily distinguished by its perulate bud, penninerved leaf, domatia on lower leaf surface, slender inflorescences with up to first order branching that often come out together with newly flushed shoot, flowers with campanulate hypanthium and perianth lobes that are glabrous outside and hairy inside, and funnel-shaped cupules with globose fruit. This revision follows Kostermans (1970b) in recognising a broad species concept of C. porrectum (for further synonyms see Kostermans 1970b).

3. Cinnamomum penninervium has slightly thicker leaf texture but all other characters are conform with C. porrectum . One specimen from Sabah ( SAN 89440) also has an unusually thick leaf.