Luculia gratissima (Wall.) Sweet

Habit

Shrub

Family Description

Trees, shrubs or herbs. Leaves opposite and decussate or whorled, usually entire, domatia sometimes present beneath in axils of primary veins; stipules interpetioler, rarely leaf like. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, usually cymose, sometimes forming diffuse panicles, capitate, fasciculate or flowers solitary. Flowers actinomorphic, bisexual, sometimes di-morphic, 4-5 merous. Calyx united at base with ovary into a hypanthium, usually with tubular portion above ovary, usually regularly 4-5 lobed above, sometimes lobes recused to denticels, present. Corolla infundibular, hypocrateriform, campanulate or rarely rotate, 4-5lobed; tube rarely curved. Stamens 4-5 alternating with corolla lobes and inserted on tube; Anthers dihising by slits or pores. Ovary inferior, 2 celled with septal placentation, rarely one celled with parietal placentation, usually crowned with a large nectariferous disc; ovules 2-many; style 1, terminal with capitate or two lobed stigma or with fusiform or mitriform stigmatic head; rarely styles 2, with simple capitate or cylindric stigmas. Fruit a capsul, berry or drupe, sometimes schizocarpic

Genus Description

Deciduous shrubs. Leaves opposite, entire petiolate. Flowers 5 merous, white or pink, in terminal many flowered corymbs. Calyx tube obsolete; lobes elongate, foliaceous. Corolla hypocrateriform, lobes simple or with two appendages at base. Heterostylose; anthersn partly included to barely excerted and style included and style breifly excerted. Filaments short anthers oblong. Ovary two locular; style slender; stigma bifid. Capsule two valved, septicidally dihiscent. seeds many, very small; testa rough, with toothed wings.

Species description

Shrub 1-3m. Leaves elliptic to oblanceolate, 5-19 x 1.5-6.5cm, abruptly or gradually acuminate, base acute or attenuate, glabrous and shiny above, pale green beneath. matt and pilose. especially on veins; petioles c 1cm, tomentose. Stipules iovate, c 1cm, cuspidate. Peduncles tomentose. Flowers very fragrant. Hypanthium tomentose; calyx lobes elliptic, 8-12mm, usually acuminate. Corolla white or pink, tube 2-4cm; lobes ovate spreading, 1-1.5cm, without appendages. Capsule obovoid, 1-1.5cm, Sparsely pilose.