Meliosma henryi (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Meliosma henryi Diels

Family: Sabiaceae

Synonyms

• Meliosma affinis Merrill,
• M. buchananifolia Merrill,
• M. thorelii Lecomte.

Vernacular names

• Burma (Myanmar): ye thit nee
• Laos: co lêng
• Vietnam: co phiên.

Distribution

Southern and central China, northern India and northern Burma (Myanmar), northern Laos and northern Vietnam.

Uses

In China the bark is used for incense.

Observations

• Evergreen tree, up to 18 m tall.
• Leaves alternate, simple; petiole 0.5-3 cm long; blade obovate-oblong to obovate-lanceolate, 3-25 cm × 1-9 cm, coriaceous.
• Inflorescence a terminal panicle 10-35 cm long.
• Flowers numerous, bisexual, zygomorphic; sepals 4-5, petals 5, unequal; stamens 5, 2 fertile, 3 staminodial; ovary 2-locular.
• Fruit a globose to obovoid berry, 5-8 mm in diameter.

M. henryi occurs in subtropical to tropical forest at moderate altitudes. Three subspecies are distinguished: subsp. henryi (ovary glabrous, endocarp without reticulum, leaves up to 12 cm × 3.5 cm with 5-10 pairs of veins; central and southern China, rather rare); subsp. mannii (Lace) Beus. (ovary glabrous, endocarp without reticulum, leaves up to 20 cm × 7.5 cm with 10-18 pairs of veins; north-eastern India, northern Burma (Myanmar) and adjacent China, rather rare); and subsp. thorelii (Lecomte) Beus. (ovary densely pubescent, endocarp with distinct reticulum, leaves up to 25 cm × 9 cm with 10-25 pairs of veins; southern China and Hainan, Laos, northern Vietnam, rather common, up to 1500 m altitude). It is worthwhile to investigate possibilities for this species in South-East Asia, including the Malesian region.

Selected sources

• Burkill, I.H., 1935. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. 2 volumes. Crown Agents for the Colonies, London, United Kingdom. 2402 pp. (slightly revised reprint, 1966. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2444 pp.).
• van Beusekom, C.F., 1971. Revision of Meliosma (Sabiaceae), section Lorenzanea excepted, living and fossil, geography and phylogeny. Blumea 19: 355-529.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen