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

Thespesia fisscalyx Borss.Waalk.

Blumea Vol. 14: 112 (1966)

Field Characters: Large trees about 20 m high. Bole cylindrical; straight; buttresses absent; spines absent; aerial roots absent; stilt roots absent. Bark grey, rough, pustular; lenticels elongated vertically; subrhytidome green with tinge of red; bark thickness <25 mm thick, 10.0-15.0 mm thick; blaze consisting of one layer; faintly to non-aromatic; onion-like; outer blaze pale yellow cream-coloured or pale red, with stripes, fibrous; inner blaze pale red or pale yellow cream-coloured, with stripes, fibrous; exudate absent. Terminal buds not enclosed by leaves; complex hairs absent; stinging hairs absent; mature twig hairy; hairs dense.

Leaves: Spaced along branches <internodes readily visible>. Leaves spiral, simple; petiole present, not winged, attached to base of leaf blade <not peltate>, not swollen; lamina broadest below middle, 8.5-12.0 cm long, 8.5-12.0 cm wide; lamina symmetric, margin entire, not dissected or lobed, apex acuminate, 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 green or brown rusty-coloured, upper surface pale green or green; oil dots absent; domatia absent; stipules present, free <from one another>, laterally placed <whether free or joined>, not encircling the twig, leafy, not fringed, large <easily visible to the eye>, not persistent.

Flowers: Inflorescence axillary <from between a leaf and branch>. Flowers single <solitary> flowers bisexual, stalked, with many planes of symmetry <actinomorphic>, 40.0-45.0 mm long, large (>10 mm diam.) 30-35 mm diam.; perianth present, with distinct sepals and petals, yellow; inner perianth 5, free; stamens 100, filaments present, joined <connate>, free of perianth; ovary superior <seated above petals and sepals; hypogenous>, carpels joined (when more than one) <syncarpous>, locules 5; styles solitary <including joined together>, 1.

Fruits: Fruits single <solitary>. Fruit brown, not spiny, non-fleshy, simple, dehiscent, capsule. Seeds 100.

Distribution: Madang.

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