Introduction

The Flora Malesiana project officially started in 1950, but was already initiated by Prof. Van Steenis in the 40’s. The project’s aim is to describe the flora of the Indonesian Archipelago, a flora estimated to comprise 40,000 species of Angiosperms, Gymnosperms, and ferns. The Angiosperms and Gymnosperms are being published in series 1 of the Florea, and the ferns in series 2. Up to now, including the volumes to be published in 1993, a quarter of the flora has been finished.

The Malesian region comprises the following areas (see map on inside covers):

 The areas contain the following countries:

- Malaysia (States: Malaya on Malay Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak   on Borneo)

- Singapore (southern tip of Malay Peninsula)

- Indonesia (Sumatra, Borneo-Kalimantan, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, Celebes, Moluccas, New Guinea-Irian Jaya)

- Brunei Darussalam (on Borneo)

- Philippines

- Papua New Guinea

The larger part of the Malesian area consists of the Indonesian islands. Two countries are present on the Malay Peninsula (Malaysia and Singapore), 4 different states/countries on Borneo (Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo; Sabah and Sarawak, the Malaysian part of Borneo; and Brunei), and 2 countries on New Guinea (Irian Jaya, the Indonesian western half; and Papua New Guinea, the eastern half).

A quarter of the flora has been treated, the remaining threequarters have to be revised in the next 20 years. This means that the project has to accelarate very fast. Several options are available to do so. A computerisation of the project will increase efficiency, for this purpose LBASE is being developed in Leiden. LBASE will include a literature database, specimen data, and distribution data. The project will be tightly managed. The format will be simplified (see below). And, to save most time, the research will switch from semi-monographic to more compilatory.

At the end of last year a start was made with the revision of the Malesian Euphorbiaceae for Flora Malesiana. This project will be a kind of pilot project under the new management. The Euphorbiaceae are very suitable for compilatory work as Airy Shaw has revised almost all of them for the greater part of Malesia with flora treatments being available for the remaining parts. The planning for the treatment of the Euphorbiaceae is 10 years, which means that they should be finished in 2002. As I can never accomplish this by myself many botanists have been invited to collaborate. Many positive reactions were received from about half of the people who responded. We are glad that such a high degree of enthousiam exists.

In order to start and maintain a constant flow of information among all contributors this newsletter was started. The newsletter will be issued twice per year. Those who like to publish information in it are more than welcome.

Herbaria

A: Herbarium, Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, U.S.A.

BM: Herbarium, Botany Department, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, England.

BO: Herbarium Bogoriense, Jalan Ir. H. Juanda 22, Bogor, Indonesia.

BRI: Queensland Herbarium, Department of Primary Industries, Meiers Road, Indooroopilly, Queensland 4068, Australia.

BRUN: Herbarium, Forestry Department, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darrusalam.

CANB: Australian National Herbarium, CSIRO, G.P.O. Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

K: Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, England.

KEP: Herbarium, Forest Research Institute of Malaysia, P.O. Box 201, Kepong, 52109 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

L: Rijksherbarium/Hortus Botanicus, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.

LAE: Papua New Guinea National Herbarium, Forest Research Institute, P.O. Box 314, Lae, Papua New Guinea.

NSW: National Herbarium of New South Wales, Royal Botanic Gardens, Mrs. Macquarie's Road, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia.

NY: Herbarium, New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York 10458-5126, U.S.A.

P: Herbier, Laboratoire de Phanérogamie, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 16 rue Buffon, F-75005 Paris, France.

PNH: Philippine National Herbarium, National Museum, P.O. Box 2659, Manila, Philippines

SAN: Herbarium, Forest Research Centre, Forest Department, P.O. Box 1407, 90008 Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia.

SAR: Forest Herbarium, Department of Forestry, 93660 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

SING: Herbarium, Parks and Recreation Department, Botanic Gardens, Cluny Road, Singapore 1025, Singapore.

US: United States National Herbarium, Botany Department, NHB-166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560-0001, U.S.A.

P.C. van Welzen

Lepidopetalum Blume, Rumphia 3 (1847) 171; Radlk., Bot. Jahrb. 56 (1920) 56; in Engl., Pflanzenr. 98 (1933) 1316; Reynolds, Fl. Austral. 25 (1985) 87. --- Type species: Lepidopetalum perrottetii (Cambess.) Blume.

Lachnopetalum Turcz., Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. 21 (1848) 571. --- Type species: Lachnopetalum glabrum Turcz. (= Lepidopetalum perrottetii (Cambess.) Blume).

Tree. Indumentum simple hairs only. Branchlets smooth to slightly grooved, sericeous when young. Leaves paripinnate, spirally arranged, pulvinate at base, without pseudostipules; petiolules present as pulvinus. Leaflets subopposite to opposite, basal ones ovate, upper ones elliptic (to obovate), slightly asymmetric, acroscopic side broader, thin, not punctate; base usually cuneate, asymmetric; margin entire, flat; apex acuminate to caudate, very apex usually rounded; both surfaces smooth, subglabrous except at least for the subsericeous basal part of the midrib, below (a few) glabrescent hair tufts as domatia; venation raised, especially below, nerves marginally looped, veins reticulate. Inflorescences ramiflorous to axillary to pseudoterminal, reduced thyrses with usually 3 cymules per node, tendrils absent; rachis (sub)sericeous; cymules basally dichasial to apically cincinnate, those with male flowers often with an exceptional number of sepals, petals, and stamens in first developed flowers. Bracts and bracteoles triangular to long triangular to at least a few leaf-like in L. subdichotomum, mainly margin and outside sericeous. Pedicels subglabrous to pilose, glandular hairs present besides simple ones; upper part above abcission zone less pilose to glabrous except for glandular hairs. Flowers actinomorphic. Sepals 5 (or 6), (sub)equal, basally united, apert; tube disc-shaped, c. 0.3 mm long; blades triangular (to ovate), mainly margin and outside pilose. Petals 5(--7); nail c. 0.1 mm high; blade triangular, margin only to completely pilose; scales united into one, occasionally still bifid, larger than blade, margin irregularly crenate, pilose; crests usually absent, sometimes present as central ridges or as 2 flat scales. Disc circular,complete to with often a few slits in L. xylocarpum, flat to high, smooth, glabrous, enveloping base of stamens, without rim or collar. Stamens (7--)8(--10); filaments especially basally pilose; anthers basifixed, laterally opening with lengthwise slits, pilose. Pistil: ovary flat, 2- (or very occasionally 3-)locular, smooth, subglabrous to hirsute; ovule one per locule; style and stigma united, flat, triangular, stigmatic part folded outwards like overhanging roof. Fruit an obovoid capsule, regularly dehiscing, with usually 1 developed seed, flat when 2-locular, coriaceous to woody, smooth to somewhat rough, outside glabrous, margin sharp, almost slightly winged to blunt, inside glabrous to short to long brownish pilose, without extra fleshy layer; stipe absent to present; wall thin, at most 2 mm thick. Seed ellipsoid, triangular in transverse view, base straight to oblique, smooth, shiny; sarcotesta glabrous, covering seed only basally to almost completely except for a small triangular dorsal area; testa thin, without radicle pocket on the inside. Embryo: cotyledons laterally to secondarily laterally besides each other, equal to inequal, then upper much larger, apices not elongated; radicle present basally to about halfway seed, short; plumule inconspicuous.

Field notes -- Bark greyish brown, slightly fissured and/or with lenticels. Flowers yellowish white. Fruit red; sarcotesta orange; seed black.

Distribution -- 6 Species from India (Andaman and Nicobar Isl.; 1 non-endemic species) to NE Australia and the Solomon Islands (also 1 non-endemic species each); all species occurring in Malesia:, mainly endemic.

Ecology -- Trees in primary and secondary forest, on waste land, along rivers and roads. Alt.: sealevel up to 1200 m. Flowering and fruiting: different per species, variable between seasonal and whole year through.

Note -- The phylogeny and historical biogeographical pattern of Lepidopetalum is described in Van Welzen (1992).

Key to the species of Lepidopetalum based on flowering characters

Caution: the differences in floral characters among the species are only slight. Therefore, geography is used as an additional 'character'; however, due to insufficient collecting, the geographical ranges of some species may be larger than described in the key.

    Note -- Clinal variation exists from Mindanao to Luzon, the leaflets and fruits decrease in size.