Flora of Thailand
Euphorbiaceae
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Hook.f. ex Pax in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. Nacht.: 213. 1897; Airy Shaw, Kew Bull. 26: 310; Whitmore, Tree Fl. Malaya 2: 119. 1973; Welzen, Blumea 39: 307. 1994; Radcl.-Sm., Gen. Euphorbiacearum: 120. 2001; Welzen in Welzen & Chayam., Fl. Thailand 8, 2: 455. 2007; G.L.Webster in Kubitzki, Fam. Gen. Vasc. Pl. 11: 105. 2014.— Scortechinia Hook.f. (non Sacc.) in Hook., Ic. Pl. 8: pl. 1706. 1887, nom. illeg.— Alcinaeanthus Merr., Philipp. J. Sc. Bot. 7: 379. 1912.
Trees, dioecious. Indumentum of simple and stellately bundled hairs, especially on the fruits and young parts. Stipules early caducous. Leaves spirally arranged, simple; petiole channelled above, basally and apically pulvinate; blade mainly elliptic, base usually with two glands, margin subentire to dentate with a gland on the lower surface of every tooth; venation pinnate, nerves looped and closed near margin, veins scalariform, veinlets reticulate. Inflorescences axillary to (pseudo)terminal thyrses, branching 2 or 3 times racemosely, more so in staminate flowers, hairy, with 1-7 flowers per node; bracts with 2 glands or 2 bractoles, especially in pistillate inflorescences. Flowers actinomorphic, 4-merous, yellow, fragrant; sepals 4 or 5(6), imbricate with 2 (smaller) outside the overlapping inner ones, persistent; petals and disc absent. Staminate flowers pedicellate; receptacle with small hirsute scales between the stamens; stamens 5-9, filament flat, anther basifixed with 2 thecae; pistillode present. Pistillate flowers with in fruit elongating pedicel; pistil 2-locular, hirsute; ovules 1 per locule; style absent; stigmas 2, split into 2 (or 3) lobes. Fruits capsular, ellipsoid, grey, sutures as 4 longitudinal ribs; septum pressed against endotesta when 1-seeded; wall woody. Seeds ovoid, smooth, glabrous, black, covered by a thin, red, fleshy aril.
Six species, all more or less endemic to Malesia, four widespread in West Malesia, one endemic in NE Borneo and one widespread over New Guinea. One species in Thailand. Classification: Subfam. Acalyphoideae, tribe Cheiloseae.
Neoscortechinia philippinensis (Merr.) Welzen, Blumea 39: 316, fig. 2a, 3c, 8. 1994; in Welzen & Chayam., Fl. Thailand 8, 2: 455, Fig. 47, Plate XXIII: 2. 2007.— Alcinaeanthus philippinensis Merr., Philipp. J. Sc. Bot. 7: 380. 1912.— Alcinaeanthus parvifolius Merr., Philipp. J. Sc. Bot. 9: 461. 1914.— Scortechinia parvifolia (Merr.) Merr., Philipp. J. Sc. Bot. 11: 76. 1916.— Neoscortechinia arborea (Elmer) Pax & K.Hoffm. var. parvifolia (Merr.) Pax & K.Hoffm. in Engl., Pflanzenr. IV.147.xiv, add. VI: 51. 1919.— Neoscortechinia parvifolia (Merr.) Merr., Enum. Philipp. Pl. 2: 456. 1923.— Neoscortechinia coriacea Merr., Pl. Elmer. Born.: 164. 1929.
Tree up to 30 m high, buttresses often present. Bark smooth to scaly to fissured, whitish grey to brown to black-brown; inner bark whitish to yellowish to pinkish red to brown, striated, btittle; wood white-cream to yellow to light brown; heartwood black-brown. Stipules triangular, ca. 1.6 by 0.4 mm. Leaves: petiole 0.8-5 cm long, (sub)glabrous; blade elliptic to obovate, 4-22 by 2-9.5 cm, length/width ratio 1.8-3.4, coriaceous, symmetric, base acute to attenuate, with glands, margin subentire with a few very short teeth to laxly dentate, apex (rounded to) acute to acuminate; lower surface (sub)glabrous; nerves 6-10 per side. Inflorescences (sub)sericeous, up to 19 cm long. Flowers: pedicel 0.5-2.2 mm long; staminate flowers 2.3-3.2 mm in diameter, pistillate flowers 1.2-2.8 mm; sepals 4 or 5, ovate, 0.7-2 by 1.2-2.5 mm; stamens 5-8, filament 0.5-1.2 mm long, basally pilose, anther 0.3-0.5 by 0.3-0.4 mm. Fruit 1.8-4 by 1.1-1.9 (1-seeded) -2.3 (2-seeded). Seed 1.4-3 by 0.5-1.4 cm.
T h a i l a n d.— PENINSULAR: Trang (Khao Chong).
D i s t r i b u t i o n.— Burma, Peninsular Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Philippines (type).
E c o l o g y.— On flat to undulating country in primary (mixed Dipterocarp) forest, secondary forest, mixed fresh water swamp forest, riverine forest, and along mangrove. Altitude: sea level up to 1,500 m. Flowering whole year through, mainly from December to September; fruiting: whole year through, mainly from April to December. The fruits are a favourite food of monkeys.
N o t e.— It took time to confirm the presence of this genus for Thailand. The species is N. philippinensis and not the rather similar N. nicobarica (Hook.f.) Pax & K.Hoffm. The latter has (sub)pilose petioles, veins usually slightly arching, (7)8-12 per side, blade base rounded to acute, margin usually with distinct teeth, and inflorescences hirsute (clearly hairy).