Parakmeria in Flora of China @ efloras.org

9. Parakmeria Hu & W. C. Cheng, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 1: 1. 1951.

拟单性木兰属 ni dan xing mu lan shu

Micheliopsis H. Keng.

Trees, evergreen, glabrous, hermaphrodite or andro-dioecious. Twigs densely noded and bamboo nodelike; terminal vegetative buds dehiscing into 2 valves. Stipules not adnate to petiole. Leaves when young not folded and surrounded by young vegetative buds in bud; petiole without a stipular scar; leaf blade margin entire, bony, semitransparent, decurrent on petiole. Flowers terminal, solitary. Spathaceous bract 1, just basal to tepals. Tepals 9-12; outer 3 tepals nearly leathery and striated; tepals of inner 2 or 3 whorls subequal but gradually smaller inward, fleshy. Male flower: stamens 10-75, inserted on cylindric torus; filaments short; connective exserted and forming a mucro; anthers filiform, thecae divergent, dehiscing introrsely; torus deciduous from peduncle after anthesis. Bisexual flower: stamens as in male flowers but fewer; gynophore conspicuous; carpels 10-20, connate when developed; ovules 2 per carpel. Fruit ellipsoid or obovoid, shape varied because of carpels partly undeveloped; fruiting stalks short, not elongated; mature carpels woody, dehiscing along dorsal sutures and apex. Seeds 1 or 2 per carpel, pendulous on a filiform elastic false ovule stalk; testa red or yellow; endotesta bony, with an apical hole.

Five species: China, N Myanmar; five species (three endemic) in China.

1 Plants with bisexual flowers; tepals apiculate at apex (2)

+ Plants andro-dioecious; tepals rounded or acuminate at apex (3)

2 (1) Leaf blade leathery, rigid, deep green and glossy, elliptic, oblong-elliptic, or obovate-elliptic, secondary veins 7-13 on each side; tepals purplish red at base abaxially, obovate-spoon-shaped, 4-5 cm; fruit 5-7.5 cm. 1 P. nitida

+ Leaf blade thinly leathery, adaxially green and glossy, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, secondary veins 14-16 on each side; outer tepals pale yellow, obovate-oblong, 2.5-4 cm; fruit 2-2.5 cm. 2 P. kachirachirai

3 (1) Leaf blade thinly leathery, usually widest toward base from middle, ovate-oblong or ovate-elliptic, base broadly cuneate or suborbicular; outer tepals red abaxially; torus of male flowers rounded at apex. 3 P. yunnanensis

+ Leaf blade leathery, usually widest at middle, base cuneate or narrowly cuneate; outer tepals pale yellow; torus of male flowers shortly mucronate or long acuminate at apex (4)

4 (3) Leaf blade elliptic, narrowly elliptic, or obovate-elliptic, apex shortly acute or shortly acuminate, adaxially deep green, abaxially grayish green, glandular; torus of male flower shortly mucronate. 4 P. omeiensis

+ Leaf blade obovate-elliptic or narrowly obovate-elliptic, apex acuminate, tips obtuse, adaxially green, abaxially pale green, not glandular; torus of male flower long acuminate at apex. 5 P. lotungensis

Lower Taxa

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