''Tetrameles'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial no ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek language, Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to ...

s in the family

Tetramelaceae The Tetramelaceae are a family of plants formerly classed in the Datiscaceae The Datiscaceae are a family of dicotyledonous plants, containing two species of the genus ''Datisca''. Two other genera, '' Octomeles'' and '' Tetrameles'', are now ...

with one species, ''Tetrameles nudiflora''. It grows as a large

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree and is found across southern Asia from India through southeast Asia,

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It has been given different definitions. T ...

, and into northern Australia.

Taxonomy

Robert Brown described ''Tetrameles nudiflora'' in 1844, from material collected in Java. It is the only species in its genus ''Tetrameles'', and together with '' Octomeles sumatrana'' comprise the only two species in the family

. They were previously classified in the

Datiscaceae The Datiscaceae are a family of dicotyledonous plants, containing two species of the genus ''Datisca''. Two other genera, '' Octomeles'' and '' Tetrameles'', are now classified in the family Tetramelaceae. Datiscaceae are large herbaceous plant ...

but found genetically to not form a natural clade with the other members of that family.

Description

''Tetrameles nudiflora'' grows as a large

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

tree, capable of growing over 45 m tall with a spread of over 10 m. The trunk is buttressed, and the bark is grey and often shiny. The tree often contains large hollows in the trunk or branches. It is deciduous, bare of leaves between October and December in Australia and typically January–April in Vietnam. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek ''tetra'' "four" and ''melos'' "part", and refers to the flower having four sepals. The species name is from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

''nudiflora'' "bare flowers". Nilambur teak forest 3755 -Tetrameles nudiflora.JPG, buttressed trunk (

Nilambur Nilambur is a major town, a municipality and a Taluk in the Malappuram district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River. This place is also known as 'Teak ...

teak forest) Chundul (in Bengali) (8889253106).jpg, leaves of ''T. nudiflora'' Tetrameles nudiflora ♂ (5553197929).jpg, male flowers Tetrameles nudiflora Manamboli DSCN9686.JPG, female flowers

Distribution and habitat

''Tetrameles nudiflora'' is a subtropical and

tropical forest Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds. Some tropical for ...

species, found from

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thaila ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malay ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, and into the Cape York Peninsula in north

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

( Australia). In

, these trees can be found in particularly large numbers in the

Thattekad Bird Sanctuary The Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, covering an area of barely 25 km2, and located about 12 km from Kothamangalam (Kerala state, India), was the first bird sanctuary in Kerala. Salim Ali, one of the best known ornithologists, described ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...

. In

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, an old, around 60 m (200 ft) specimen can be found in the

University of Yangon '') , mottoeng = There's no friend like wisdom. , established = , type = Public , rector = Dr. Tin Mg Tun , undergrad = 4194 , postgrad = 5748 , city = Kamayut 11041, Yangon , state = Yangon Regio ...

campus (illustrated). In

, where the species is called ''tung'' or ''thung'', a number of fin
specimens
are shown to visitors in

Cat Tien National Park The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

– one within walking distance of the park headquarters. University Scho 58

Uses and cultivation

Many specimens have grown to immense proportions of height and width. Its large size means that ''Tetrameles nudiflora'' is suited to nature reserves, parks and other large spaces rather than private gardens. Despite its timber being soft, it is used in New Guinea to make canoes. ''T. nudiflora'' does not require deep soil and is a useful 'coloniser' species for forest regeneration. Plant Tetrameles nudiflora DSCN8789 Bhelu 02

Plant Tetrameles nudiflora DSCN8789 Bhelu 02

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q15281786, from2=Q3236759 Tetramelaceae Monotypic Cucurbitales genera Australasian realm flora Indomalayan realm flora Rosids of Australia Trees of Australia Trees of China Trees of the Indian subcontinent Trees of Indo-China Trees of Malesia Flora of Queensland Least concern flora of Australia Least concern biota of Queensland Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Dioecious plants