Baliospermum solanifolium (Burm.) Suresh

1. Baliospermum solanifolium (Burm.) Suresh View in CoL — Fig. 1 View Fig ; Map 1 View Map 1

Baliospermum solanifolium (Burm.) Suresh in Nicolson et al. (1988) 106; Phattar. & Chayam. (2005) 121, f. 25; P.T.Li & M.G.Gilbert (2008) 277; (2009) f. 333: 4. ― Croton solanifolius Burm. (non Geiseler, see below) (1769) 6 ( ‘ solanifolium ’). ― Type: Rheede, Hort. Malab. 10 (1690) t. 76. See note 1.

Jatropha montana Willd. (1805) View in CoL 563. ― Ricinus montanus (Willd.) Wall. (1847) nr. 7727. ― Baliospermum montanum (Willd.) Müll.Arg. (1866) View in CoL 1125; Kurz (1877) 410;J.J.Sm. (1910) 600;Pax & K.Hoffm.(1912) 25, f. 6; Backer & Bakh.f. (1963) 497; Airy Shaw (1972) 222; Whitmore (1973) 68; Airy Shaw (1981) 267;(1982) 8; Radcl.-Sm.(1986) 83;Grierson & D.G.Long (1987) 811; Chakrab. & N.P.Balakr. (1992 ‘1990’) 5, f. 1; P.H. Hô (1992) 351; Thin (2007) 262. ― Type: Klein s.n. (holo B-WILLD,no.17927), India.

Croton solanifolius Geiseler (1807) View in CoL 74,nom.illeg,non Burm.(see above). ― Baliospermum indicum Decne.(1844) View in CoL 154, t. 154 ‘155’. ― Type: J.G. KÖnig s.n., Herb. Vahl (holo C), India.

Baliospermum axillare Blume (1826) View in CoL 604;Miq. (1859) 410; Kurz (1877) 410; Hook.f. (1887) 461; Boerl. (1900) 294; F.N. Williams (1905) 32; Ostenf. (1905) 718; Craib (1911) 467; (1912) 194; Ridl. (1924) 312; Gagnep. (1927) 429, f. 51: 6-19. ― Lectoype (designated here): Anonymous s.n., Hb. Reinwardt (L, barcode L.2189912), [ Indonesia, Java,] in montosis (in mountains).

Croton polyandrus Roxb.(1832) View in CoL 682,nom.illeg., non Spreng.(1821). ― Croton roxburghii Wall. (1840) View in CoL 20 (see also Esser 2017). ― Baliospermum polyandrum (Roxb.) Wight (1852) View in CoL 23, t. 1885. ― Lectotype (designated here): Herb. Roxburgh s.n. ( BR 505447 View Materials ).

[ Rottlera suffruticosa Wall. (1847) n. 7843, nom. nud. ― Cited specimen: Hb. N. Wallich 7843 (K-W).]

[ Baliospermum angulare Decne.ex Baill. (1858) 395,nom.nud. ― No specimen cited.]

[ Baliospermum moritzianum Baill. (1858) 395,nom.nud. ― Cited specimen: Zollinger 615 (G-DC), cited as Moritzi 615.]

Baliospermum axillare Blume var. dioica Haines (1910) 234. ― Baliospermum montanum (Willd.) Müll.Arg.var. dioica (Haines) Haines (1921) 115. ― Type: Haines s.n. (n.v.), India, Bihar, Choatanagpur (see Chakrabarty & Balakrishnan 1992 ‘1990’).

Baliospermum pendulinum Pax View in CoL in Pax & K.Hoffm. (1912) 28. ― Lectotype (designated here): Wawra von Fernsee 2495 (lecto W), Sandwich Inseln [Hawaii], Honolulu, in Gärten [cultivated in garden].

Baliospermum axillare Blume var. heterophylla Gagnep.(1927) 430. ― Type: Bon s.n. (holo P), Annam [ Vietnam], Prov. de Thanh-hoa , Trinh-nga.

Baliospermum razianum Kesh.Murthy & Yogan. in Keshva Murthy et al.(1987) 486 ( ‘raziana View in CoL ’); T. Jose et al. (1988) 225 ( ‘raziana View in CoL ’). ― Type: K.R. Keshava Murthy et al. 4218A (holo RRCBI n.v.; iso 4218B, C: RRCBI n.v.), India, Karnataka, Coorg dist., Nagarahole.

Shrubs, up to 2(-10) m high, stem up to 10 mm diam at base, monoecious (rarely only one sex present), evergreen to deciduous in drier areas, epidermis thin, smooth, brown-green when fresh; flowering branches 2.5 -5 mm diam, somewhat hairy when young, glabrescent, dark brown; sap clear, sticky. Indumentum of simple hairs, strigose on branches and leaves, more sericeous on floral parts. Stipules bud-like or glandular enations. Leaves: petiole 0.9 -18.2 cm long, round to reniform in trans- verse section, somewhat longitudinally ribbed when dry, at most basally slightly pulvinate, hairy, glabrescent; blades ovate to elliptic to obovate, older ones often with 1 or 2 lobes, 4.2 - 32.6 by 1.5-15.5 cm (width without lobes), smaller in flowering part, 1.4- 5.1 times as long as wide, symmetric, papery to pergamen- taceous, base emarginate to truncate to narrowly cuneate, at attachment slightly emarginate, margin flat, especially in older leaves with a single to two lobes, basally up to c. halfway the blade, apex acuminate to cuspidate, both surfaces smooth, somewhat hairy when young, especially abaxially, dark green above, light green underneath; lobes sometimes present, basal to halfway the blade, small to larger, supported by a secondary vein; venation pinnate to 3-plinerved, slightly raised on both sides, especially abaxially, secondary veins 6 -14 pairs, looped and closed near margin, lobes always supported by a secondary vein. Staminate inflorescences often developing during fruit set, raceme-like thyrses, up to 7(- 20) cm long, but often very short when in bud, with few hairs, with groups of staminate flowers per node supported by a group of bracts, seldom also a pistillate flower per node; bracts triangular, c. 0.8 by 0.6 mm, outside slightly hairy, especially along midrib, margin of more basal ones with one or two tooth-like glands (comparable to leaves), inside glabrous, green. Staminate flowers 2.5 -3 mm diam, bright green to yellow; pedicel 2.4 -8 mm long, hairy, red suffused; sepals ovate, 1.3- 2 by 1.3 -2 mm, margin entire, light green (see note 3); stamens c. 15-19; filaments 1.2 -1.3 mm long, pale light green; anthers cream to bright yellow. Pistillate inflorescences reduced to a single to three flowers developing in the leaf axil next to the staminate inflorescences. Pistillate flowers turning downwards, c. 2.5 mm diam; peduncle c. 2 mm long, elongating to c. 6 mm in fruit, round, hairy; sepals 5, ovate, 1.3 -2 by 1-1.3 mm, green, margin with a few glandular teeth, not accrescent; ovary slightly 3-lobed, c. 1.2-1.3 by 1.2 -1.6 mm, hairy, light green; style absent, stigmas 3, 1.4 -2.3 mm long, light green, upper 0.5-1.3 mm split, basal part thick, ± round, lobes flat, thickened perpendicular to ovary, inside smooth. Fruits obovoid, 3-lobed, 7-10 by 7-9.8 mm, hanging downward, smooth, hairy, green to upper part white (imma- ture?), dehiscing septicidally and apically partly loculicidally into bivalved cocci or also completely loculicidally and falling apart in 6 single cocci, strand-like remnants of sutures remaining attached to base of columella, these peeling off from bottom to apex; wall thin, woody when dry; columella slender, 5 - 6.7 mm long. Seeds dorsoventrally flattened obovoid with on inside a central ridge, c. 5.5 -6.8 by 3.7-5 by 3 - 4 mm.

Distribution ― Southeast Asia: ranging from India to S China ( Yunnan Prov.) to Indochina; in Malesia: absent in the Malay Peninsula, present on Sumatra, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands ( Bali, Sumbawa), and the Moluccas ( Ambon).

Habitat & Ecology ― Found in disturbed, seasonally dry habitats: shaded to partly open, often wet, fire-damaged, very degraded, mixed evergreen and deciduous hardwood forest with bamboo, in bamboo thickets, and in alang-alang; bedrock soil granite, limestone or shale. Even found on walls of demolished buildings. Altitude: 20-1300 m. Flowering and fruiting whole year through.

Uses ― A decoction of the leaves is used as a purgative; the seeds are a drastic purgative ( Radcliffe-Smith 2001). However, quite the opposite, the Karen hilltribes in N Thailand cut up the roots or leaves, soak these with seven grains of rice for 30 minutes and drink the liquid to stop vomiting and nausea ( E.F. Anderson 5459, L).

Vernacular names ― Thailand: Long pom, nong pom, thon di, tong tae, tong taek, thon di; pho-bo-cho, tho-khlo (Karen in Mae Hong Son) ( Smitinand 2014). Java: ( Smith 1910): Adakadal, Srintil (Javanese); Kasingat (Sundanese); Miquel (1859): Pantjahan, Oedoe lada (Sundanese).

Notes ― 1. The species is generally referred to as B. montanum (based on Jatropha montana by Willdenow 1805), because Burman (1769) seemingly published a nomen nudum when he listed Croton solanifolius . However, Burman correctly referred to a description and plate made by Van Rheede tot Drakestein (1690) and created a valid name (see Nicolson et al. 1988).

2. This species differs from the remainder of the genus in its monoecy, annular staminate disc, generally single, hanging pistillate flowers and the gland-like stipules. Still, the species is variable and may have small to very large, narrow to broad, lobed or non-lobed leaves, short to sometimes long staminate inflorescences, etc. Usually the leaves in the flowering parts are much smaller. In Malesia the specimens are relatively uniform.

3. Petrmitr 256 (in L, from Thailand) may be of hybrid origin. Like B. solanifolium the plant is bisexual with hanging pistillate flowers/fruits. However, the disc is subdivided and sometimes grown into petal-like organs. The separate glands are like in B. calycinum , which also often has the long inflorescences with long peduncle.