Volume 14 > Part 2 > Year 2019 > Page 228 > Araliaceae > Schefflera

6. Schefflera heptaphylla (L.) Frodinwfo-0000305931

Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 104: 314, fig. 1. 1991 (‘1990’); in Frodin & Govaerts, World Checkl. Bibliogr. Araliac.: 343. 2004 (‘2003’); C.B.Shang & Lowry, Fl. China 13: 461. 2007.— Vitis heptaphylla L., Mant. Pl. 2: 212. 1771; Syst. Veg. ed. 13: 203. 1774; DC., Prodr. 4: 260. 1830 (under Sciodaphyllum brownei Spreng.).

Synonyms & Citations :

Description : Trees to 15 m tall, dbh 34 cm; bark gray, finely roughened, glabrous. Leaves glabrous to very sparsely pubescent; stipules ca 8 mm long, as a short free rim, clasping stem; petiole to 5–21 cm long; leaflets 7–9, their petiolules 1.2–5 cm long, elliptic to obovate, 6–17 by 3–8 cm, chartaceous, base acute-attenuate, margin entire, recurved, apex acute, slightly glaucous beneath, indumentum absent or of very sparse, brown, stellate hairs to 0.1 mm across (in Vietnamese specimens more dense, and to 0.2 mm), venation visible though indistinct, side veins in 7–11 pairs. Inflorescence terminal, 12–50 cm in diam., the main axis to over 30 cm long, bearing numerous (10–13 or more) racemes of umbels, with scattered hairs to subglabrous on most parts; the lowermost racemes 12–25 cm long, the uppermost 5–7 cm overall, each bearing from 8 to 26 umbels, basally subtended by a triangular, persistent bract 2–3 mm long; with a scattered stellate indumentum throughout, 1–2 mm across, pale brown; bracts along the racemes ca 1 mm long, persistent; umbel peduncles 1–1.6 cm long, usually with additional empty bracts; umbels 15–20 mm in diam., with 8–13 flowers, although the most apical umbels of the inflorescence appear to comprise fasciculate umbels of up to 16 flowers. Flowers yellow, red in bud; pedicel 2–4 mm long, with scattered hairs ca 1 mm across; receptacle turbinate, to 2.3 mm across; calyx minutely 5–6-dentate; petals 5–6, 1.5–2 by ca 1.4 mm; anthers 5–6, c.1 mm long, filaments to 4 mm long; disc conical, stigmas obscure. Fruits ripening blackish-purple, glabrous; pedicel 5 mm long; drupe 4.5–5 by 4 mm, 5–6-locular, ribbed-sulcate.

Thailand : EASTERN: Nakon Ratchasima; CENTRAL: Nakhon Nayok.

Distribution : Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan, China (type).

Ecology : Primary seasonal evergreen forests, over granite and sandstone, 500–800 m in Thailand. Flowering: October–December; fruiting: December, January.

Vernacular : Nio mue phra narai (นิ้วมือพระนารายณ์).

Notes: The long-misplaced Linnean species Vitis heptaphylla was recognised by Frodin (1991) as being the earliest valid basionym of this species often called Schefflera octophylla (Lour.) Harms. in the past.

E-version notes : Heptapleurum heptaphyllum (L.) Y.F.Deng
Med. Fl. China 7: 484. 2018.