Blachia philippinensis

2. Blachia philippinensis View in CoL — Fig. 1a‒g View Fig

Blachia philippinensis Merr. (1909) 277; Pax & K.Hoffm. (1911) 285; Merr. (1923) 455. — Lectotype (designated here): Curran FB 4128 (holo L; iso K), Philippines, Palawan, near Puerto Princesa. ( Syntypes: Curran & Merritt FB 8369 (US), Philippines, Luzon, Pangasinan Prov.; Merritt & Darling FB 13829 (US), Philippines, Luzon, Ilocos Norte Prov., Cape Bojeador.)

Blachia andamanica auct. non (Kurz) Hook.f.: Airy Shaw (1983) 10.

Shrubs to shrubby trees, up to 6 m high, dbh 2 cm or more; flowering branches 1‒2 mm thick; young parts with very few hairs. Axillary bud scales 2.3‒3.5 mm long, glabrous. Leaves: petiole 5–12 mm long, not pulvinate, green, often (especially older ones) with transverse corky cracks, then brownish green, glabrous to few hairs when young, above sharply V-shaped in transverse section; blade ovate to elliptic, 4.1‒9(‒14.5) by 1.1‒3.5(‒5) cm, length/width index 2.4‒4(‒5.4), subcoriaceous, symmetric to asymmetric, base cuneate, margin entire, wavy, usually somewhat reflexed, apex (acute to) cuspidate to caudate, subglabrous when young, glabrescent, upper surface glossy dark green, lower surface pale green to dull green; venation slightly raised on both sides, midrib especially raised beneath, secondary nerves 8‒12 pairs, looped and closed near the margin, intercalary veins distinct, higher order 1 mm 1 cm veins reticulate. Inflorescences terminal (to axillary), up to 3 cm long, with few hairs; buds green. Staminate flowers c. 3.5 mm diam; pedicel 7‒7.5 mm long; sepals 4–5, elliptic, c. 2.3 by 1.5 mm, white, apex rounded; petals 5, obovate, c. 0.9 by 0.6 mm, glabrous, membranous, apex slightly emarginate; disc glands 5, obtrapezoid, c. 0.9 by 0.8 mm, thick, glabrous, apex slightly 3-lobed; stamens c. 14‒20, filaments c. 2 mm long, slender, slightly thickened basally, anthers elliptic, c. 0.4 by 0.4 mm. Pistillate flowers c. 2.5 mm diam, green; pedicel 3‒4 mm long; sepals 5, triangular, 1.5‒2.5 by 0.6‒0.8 mm; petals 1‒5, in young flower hardly visible, clear in fruit, triangular to ovate, c. 0.7 by 0.3‒0.4 mm; disc lobes 5 when young; ovary 3-locular, ovoid, 3-lobed, c. 0.8 mm high by 0.8 mm wide, somewhat hairy in lower half (to completely hairy; see note); style short, 0.5‒0.8 mm long, glabrous, stigmas 1.7‒2.8 mm long, split except for basal 0.4‒0.8 mm. Fruits on elongated pedicel, up to 10 mm long, obovoid, 3-lobed, c. 10 by 10 mm high, green when young, glabrous; sepals, petals, style and stigmas persistent, not enlarging; columella 6‒7 mm long, apically not enlarged and T-shaped. Seeds ± oblong, but somewhat triangular in transverse section, c. 8 by 5.5 by 5 mm, slightly marbled, caruncle present.

Distribution — Philippines ( Palawan, Luzon).

Habitat & Ecology — Along edge of forest, lowland mixed forest along river, soil clay. Altitude: 300‒ 450 m. Flowering: February to April, September; fruiting: February, August.

Vernacular name — Pañgapien (Iloko/Ilokana; Merrill 1923).

Note — The specimen Loher 4642 from the Philippines is the only specimen seen so far that has ovaries completely hairy instead of only hairy in the lower half. This specimen still has relatively small leaves, petioles with corky transverse cracks and the apices of the laminas are acute to acuminate.