Barry Conn (NSW) & Kipiro Damas (LAE).
Copyright held by the authors, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, and Papua New Guinea National Herbarium

Saurauia congestiflora A.C.Sm.

Journal of the Arnold Arboretum Vol. 22: 519 (1941)

Field Characters: Small trees about 15 m high. Bole cylindrical 20 cm diam.; straight; buttresses absent; spines absent; aerial roots absent; stilt roots absent. Bark brown or grey, rough, fissured; subrhytidome green or yellow; bark thickness <25 mm thick, 8.0-10.0 mm thick; blaze consisting of one layer; faintly to non-aromatic; unpleasant or pleasant; outer blaze pale yellow cream-coloured, markings absent, fibrous; inner blaze pale yellow cream-coloured, markings absent, fibrous; exudate present, colourless, spotty, changing colour on exposure to air, to pale brown or pale orange, slightly sticky. Terminal buds not enclosed by leaves; complex hairs present; star-like; stinging hairs absent; mature twig hairy; hairs dense.

Leaves: Spaced along branches <internodes readily visible>. Leaves spiral, simple; petiole present 18-20 mm long, not winged, attached to base of leaf blade <not peltate>, not swollen; lamina broadest at or near middle, sometimes broadest below middle, or sometimes broadest above middle, (9.0-) 11.0-15.5 (-20.0) cm long, (4.5-) 6.0-9.5 cm wide; lamina symmetric, margin entire or crenate, not dissected or lobed, apex slightly emarginate or retuse, rounded, acuminate, or obtuse, venation pinnate <secondary veins arising from the midrib along its length>, secondary veins open <spaced far apart to easily see tertiary veins>, prominent, intramarginal veins absent; lower surface pale brown or red, upper surface glossy green, hairs present, dense; oil dots absent; domatia absent; stipules absent.

Flowers: Inflorescence axillary <from between a leaf and branch> on long stalks- peduncles. Flowers arising from a single point (by misinterpretation) or flowers on a branched axis branches short; flowers bisexual, shortly stalked, with many planes of symmetry <actinomorphic>, 12.0-20.0 mm long, large (>10 mm diam.) 12-14 mm diam.; perianth present, with distinct sepals and petals, white; inner perianth 5, free; stamens 100, filaments present very short, joined <connate> at base, free of perianth; ovary superior <seated above petals and sepals; hypogenous>, carpels joined (when more than one) <syncarpous> styles solitary <including joined together>, 1.

Fruits: Fruits arising from single point (by misinterpretation) or fruits arranged on branched axis branches very short. Fruit 8-10 mm long, 7.0-8.0 mm diam., fruit red, brown, blue, or green, not spiny, fleshy, simple, indehiscent. Seeds 100, not winged.

Distribution: Eastern Highlands, Madang & Morobe.

Botanical records in PNGplants database Map details

Notes: Saurauia has previously been classified in the Family Saurauiaceae.