Trees of Tropical Asia Lamiales small.pdf - XTBG-Botany

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Chionanthus
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Chionanthus. 1, C. ramiflorus, Pasoh, 47 cm DBH; 2, 4, C. pachyphyllus, typical features of the dry leaf, red color, thick hard blade,
black leaf stalks; 3, the black leaf stalks and white twig typical of many species; 5-6, the Philippine endemic, C. coriaceus, in northern
Luzon, sparsely flowered inflorescences below and among the leaves, the flowers with small calyx, four white petals, evidently
unisexual; C. calophyllus at Pasoh, the fruit axillary from axils of fallen leaves; (Photographs 3-5, adapted from photograph of Brunei
voucher specimen © Professor Eizi Suzuki.)
CHIONANTHUS. [Greek, in reference to the
white flowers.] A genus of about 100 species with a wide
distribution, primarily in the tropics and subtropics, but
with two species extending north into temperate regions,
Chionanthus retusus in eastern Asia and C. virginicus
(the fringetree) in eastern North America. These two
northern species are deciduous, and for that reason some
botanists had limited Chionanthus to the two deciduous,
temperate species; the evergreen species were then
placed in Linociera. Tropical Asia maybe 30 or more,
Philippines six, Malaya 12, perhaps six in Mainland SE
Asia. However, poorly known in general; the review of
Bornean species for the Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak
nearly doubled the species list from 10 to 25 with 15
newly described. Found in lowland wet forests and also
the strongly dry seasonal forests. They are shrubs and
small to medium-sized trees growing to 25 m tall. The
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inflorescence is sparsely flowered; in contrast to the long
petals of the American Fringetree, the flowers here are
tiny, often no more than 4-5 mm across, with four white
petals and two stamens typical of the family. The sexuality
is thought to be bisexual, but field study would be
useful, The fruit is a drupe containing a single seed. The
most distinctive feature is the white twig set in contrast
to the nearly black leaf stalk. The leaf blade is sometimes
pimpled. The most common name in Borneo is mok.
OSMANTHUS. [Greek, in reference to the fragrant
flowers.] About 30 species, generally of the warm parts of
west Asia, with one species in N America The genus differs
from Chionanthus in that the petals are overlapping
rather than free and valvate. Perhaps only Osmanthus fragrans
extending south, or perhaps naturalized from cultivation,
in the mountains of Vietnam and Thailand.
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