Cinnamomum subcuneatum Miq.

23. Cinnamomum subcuneatum Miq. View in CoL — Map 8 View Map 8

Cinnamomum subcuneatum Miq. (1858) 895; Meisn. (1864) 11; Cammerl. (1925) 471; Argent et al. (1997) 310. — Type: Teijsmann H.B. 1016 (holo U, barcode U0002679 ; iso BO), West Sumatra, Kotanopan .

Cinnamomum subcuneatum Miq. var. β Miq. (1858) 896. — Type: Teijsmann H.B. 1023 (holo U, barcode U0002680 ), Sumatra, Danau Maniendjo .

Cinnamomum griffithii Meisn. ( May 1864) 19;Cammerl.(1925) 471;Kosterm. (1986) 53; Beaman et al. (2001) 398,syn nov. — Cinnamomum gracile Miq. (Dec. & Oct. 1864) 259, 317, nom. superfl. — Type: Griffith 4240 (holo K; iso L, NY - fragment), Peninsular Malaysia, Malacca? (see note 4).

Tree or small tree 4– 8(–12) m tall, 8–14 cm diam. Bark smooth, greyish brown or whitish; inner bark yellowish, orange, reddish or brownish in colour, scented; sapwood yellowish to whitish. Twigs stout or slender, terete, 2 – 3 mm diam, apically subangular, glabrous, drying dark brown to black. Terminal buds not perulate, conical, 2 – 3 mm long, densely covered with straight or curly hairs. Leaves opposite to subopposite, drying dark green, triplinerved or trinerved, thinly coriaceous, below sparsely or densely covered with wavy to curly hairs (c. 0.2 –1 mm); blade not bullate, without domatia, lanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 9 –22 by 3.5 – 9 cm, base cuneate, apex acute, tip often gnawed; midrib prominent and smoothly raised on both sides, c. 0.5 mm broad; lateral veins raised on both sides, extending to leaf tip; major intercostal veins slender, subscalariform, 2 –7 mm apart, less prominent than midrib; minor intercostal veins faint, reticulate; petiole stout or slender, subterete, shallowly grooved above, glabrescent, 1–1.5 cm long, 1–2 mm diam. Inflorescences axillary or subterminal, slender, drying blackish, paniculate-cymose with up to third order branching, 8–18 cm long; rachis angular, 1 mm broad sparsely to densely hairy, hairs straight to curly; bracts caducous. Flowers densely hairy, drying silky and greyish, yellowish when fresh; pedicels slen- der, 2– 5 mm long; hypanthium 2– 3 mm high; perianth elliptic, 1.5–2.5 mm long, appressed pilose on both sides; fertile stamen 1.5– 2.5 mm long, anthers oblong ovate with truncate or obtuse tip; that of first and second whorl 4-locular, of the third whorl 2-locular, rarely 4-locular, filament 2/3–3/4 of stamen length; glands shortly stalked or sessile on each side at the middle or lower half of the third whorl filaments, reniform; staminodes 1–1.5 mm long, apex sagittate; ovary ellipsoid, 1–1.5 mm long, stigma trilobed. Fruits ellipsoid or obovoid with pointed tip, c. 10 by 8 mm; cupule cup-shaped, thick, distinct, c. 4 mm high, 4– 6 mm diam, sparsely appressed hairy; perianth lobes persistent, drying not hardened, becoming thin, elliptic or ovate, c. 2 by 1–2 mm; pedicel stout, 3 – 4 mm long, c. 1 mm diam, minute-appressed hairy.

Distribution — Sarawak (Kuching, Limbang, Lubok Antu and Lundu districts), Sabah (Beaufort, Keningau, Kinabatangan, Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, Kudat, Labuk Sagut, Lahad Datu, Penampang, Ranau, Sandakan, Tambunan, Tawau, Tenom and Tuaran districts), Brunei and Central and East Kalimantan. This is a widespread species distributed also in Peninsular Thailand, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and the Philippines.

Habitat & Ecology — In mixed dipterocarp, freshwater swamp, riparian, and lower montane forest at altitudes to 1500 m.

Vernacular names — Babau, Daluh, Lamou-lamou, Rundaing, Salimuat, Tawar (all Dusun), Kayu manis, Keningau (both Malay), Lawang (Iban) , Maliwat (Suluk), Mengarabau (Kadazan).

Uses — A decoction of the roots is given to women after childbirth and also to treat fever. The local people in Sarawak believe that the twigs of C. subcuneatum when placed at the edge of a paddy field will protect their crop from pests. In Sabah, the Orang Sungei tribe rubbed the pounded root on rheumatic joint to relieve pain .

Notes — 1. On the herbarium sheets, there have been many misidentifications involving C. griffithii , C. iners and C. subcuneatum . After having examined the herbarium specimens from Malesia, I recognise two distinct taxa, viz. C. iners and C. subcuneatum , including C. griffithii . Both of these species can be satisfactory differentiated by the leaf indumentum and the fruit cupule. Cinnamomum iners differs from C. subcuneatum in its leaf indumentum which is sparse, straight, short and to 0.2 mm long (vs denser, wavy to curly hairs, long, 0.2–1 mm), and fruit cupule which is inconspicuous and shallow, c. 1 mm high, c. 2 mm diam. (vs conspicuous and thick, c. 4 mm high, c. 4– 6 mm diam). The first and second whorl stamens of C. iners are always 4-locular. Some variation is observed in the third whorl anther locule of C. subcuneatum . The Bornean C. subcuneatum have 2-locular anthers in the third whorl (with exception of SAN 31460 and SAN 80764 which have 4-locular anthers). The Sumatran and Peninsular Malaysian specimens have 2- or 4-locular anthers in the third whorl stamens.

2. In Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, C. iners is frequently found at low altitude in open areas, secondary forest and by roadsides. It is widely planted as shade tree in urban landscapes. Cinnamomum subcuneatum is commonly found in secondary forest and primary forest ranging from lowland to montane forest. In Sumatra, the two species are observed in primary and secondary forest. In Java, C. iners is found only in primary forest.

3. Two specimens from Sabah ( RSNB 2687 and SAN 18804) that were identified by Kostermans (1970a) as C. tahijanum belong to C. subcuneatum . Cinnamomum subcuneatum differs from C. tahijanum by its acute leaf apex (vs acuminate, with distinct acumen) and slender midrib and lateral veins, 0.5 mm broad (vs broad midrib, c. 1 mm broad).

4. Meissner (1864) cited, as the type of C. griffithii , an unnumbered Griffith specimen from Malacca in the Hooker herbarium. He further commented that this species resembles C. iners . Kostermans (1986) indicated the specimen Griffith 4240 as the type of C. griffithii . After having examined the collections in K, I did not find any unnumbered Griffith’s collection from Malacca. The specimen Griffith 4240 is the only collection from Peninsular Malaysia that resembles C. iners . I therefore concur with Kostermans (1986) that Griffith 4240 is the type of C. griffithii .