Ancistrocladus griffithii
Ancistrocladus griffithii in Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot., sér. 3, 13: 318. 1849 sec. Taylor & al. 20051
Notes
Although it was originally characterized by its relatively long narrow leaves, this species is better characterized and circumscribed by its reproductive characters. It is similar to Ancistrocladus attenuatus; for their distinctions see the dicussion there. Also A. griffithii can be separated from A. heyneanus and A. tectorius, which are at least generally sympatric, by its sepals that lack large abaxial glands, its generally well-developed pedicels, and its inflorescence bracts that are relatively small, clustered at the apices of the axes near the flower buds, apparently caducous at anthesis, and sometimes eglandular. In contrast, these other two species have outer sepals that usually have 1 or 2 abaxial glands, pedicels 0-3 mm long; and bracts that are often well-developed, borne regularly along all the axes, and generally persistent and usually have well-developed abaxial glands. The name Ancistrocladus wallichii has been frequently used for this species (e.g., Heifer 720, distributed under this name to at least three institutions; see Dagar & Singh, 1999). However, the type specimens of A. wallichii cannot be identified with certainty, and this name is here considered of dubious identity and discussed in that section, below.
Description
Juvenile plants unknown. Juvenile leaves unknown. Adult stems arising from extra-axillary buds well below apex of juvenile stem, climbing to 4 m high, to 1 cm diam. [probably becoming larger but no data], with bark purplish brown, smooth to roughened, bearing some scattered leaves and also lateral branchlets to 12 cm long, these bearing groups of leaves; hooks not seen. Adult leaves drying papyraceous to chartaceous, dull to a little shiny on both surfaces, in life not seen, when dry discolorous, brown to dark brown above, paler brown to yellow-brown below; pits dimorphic, small pits moderately densely distributed to frequent on both surfaces or sometimes only evident on adaxial surface, large pits ca. 0.5 mm diam., circular to oval, few and scattered on adaxial surface; midrib adaxially shallowly sulcate, abaxially prominent, terminating in a tiny gland; secondary veins prominulous on both surfaces; tertiary veins reticulated and prominulous on both surfaces; margins plane to usually revolute; stem leaves not seen; leaves at branchlet apices with persistence unknown, elliptic, 10.0-30.0 X 1.5-4.3 cm, L/W 4.3-11.5, at apex acute and sometimes abruptly shortly acuminate, at base long-attenuate; secondary veins 11 to 16 pairs, with intramarginal vein situated 1-3 mm from mar-gin. Inflorescence lax, paniculate, lateral or appar-ently terminal among leaves at apices of branchlets, without hooks, occasionally bearing bracteal leaves similar to adult stem leaves (e.g., Chevalier 31864, P); peduncle 0.1-10.0 cm long, often flexuous; branched portion corymbiform, ca. 17 X 7 cm, dichotomously branched, axes slender; bracts trian-gular to lanceolate, ca. 0.8 mm long, at apex acute, at base obtuse to rounded, marginally hyaline and often a little erose, abaxially eglandular or some-times with a rounded gland covering Vi- 2h of surface; pedicels 1.5-3.0 mm long. Flowers all pedicellate, not seen, description based on scale drawings on Pierre 1 791 (P); sepals 5, ovate to ob-long-obovate, rounded at apex, at base rounded to truncate and shortly decurrent on ovary, abaxially with sparse to numerous small pits, apparently without glands (e.g., Chevalier 31864, P), adaxially with small pits, unequal, larger 3 sepals ca. 2.2 X 1.0 mm, smaller 2 sepals ca. 1.9 X 0.9 mm; petals 5, apparently imbricate, broadly elliptic, color un-known, ca. 1.7 X 1.1 mm (i.e., slightly shorter than sepals); stamens apparently 10 in 2 whorls; filaments stout, pyramidal, dimorphic, the shorter ca. 0.5 mm long, the longer ca. 0.2 mm long; anthers ca. 0.5 mm long; ovary fully inferior, size unknown; styles 3, ca. 0.3 mm long, stigmas not seen. Fruit turbinate; nut 5-6 X 8-10 mm, on sides longitu-dinally shallowly 5-ridged by decurrent margins of accrescent sepals; persistent sepal limbs spreading, chartaceous, oblanceolate, subequal, 5-12 X 4-6 mm; pericarp drying dull brown, coriaceous to chartaceous; seed obconical, ca. 8 mm diam.