Elaeocarpus Stipularis

''Elaeocarpus stipularis'' is a tree in the Elaeocarpaceae family. It is found from the Aru Islands, eastern Indonesia, to Philippines, and through Mainland Southeast Asia to Odisha, India. It has edible fruit, its wood is used and some medical uses are ascribed to it.

Description

The evergreen, 10-20m tall tree has a simple broad leaves. Its wood density is 0.46g/cm³ It fruits from November to May in Selangor, Malaysia

Infraspecifics

The following varieties are accepted:
*''Elaeocarpus stipularis'' var. ''alticola'' Coode
*''Elaeocarpus stipularis'' var. ''atjehensis'' Coode
*''Elaeocarpus stipularis'' var. ''brevipes'' (Merr.) Coode
*''Elaeocarpus stipularis'' var. ''castaneus'' (Merr.) Coode
*''Elaeocarpus stipularis'' var. ''longipetiolatus'' (Merr.) Coode
*''Elaeocarpus stipularis'' var. ''nutans'' ( R.Knuth) Coode
*''Elaeocarpus stipularis'' var. ''rejangensis'' (R.Knuth) Coode
*''Elaeocarpus stipularis'' var. ''siamensis'' ( Craib) Coode

Some of these varieties are synonymous with formerly accepted species:
*variety ''brevipes'' has the synonyms: ''Elaeocarpus baramensis'' Knuth; ''Elaeocarpus brevipes'' Merr.
*variety ''castaneus'' has the synonyms: ''Elaeocarpus castaneus'' Merr.; ''Elaeocarpus gambir'' Becc.
*variety ''longipetiolatus'' has the synonym ''Elaeocarpus longipetiolatus Merr.''
*variety ''nutans'' has the synonym ''Elaeocarpus nutans'' Knuth.
*variety ''rejangensis'' has the synonym ''Elaeocarpus rejangensis'' Knuth.
*variety ''siamensis'' has the synonyms: ''Elaeocarpus siamensis'' Craib; ''Elaeocarpus wallichii'' Kurz.

Distribution

The species is found from northwestern islands of the Sahul/Australian continent, across southern Wallacea and throughout Southeast Asia: Indonesia (Aru Islands, southern Maluku, East and West Nusa Tenggara, Bali, Jawa, Sumatera, Kalimantan), Timor Leste, Singapore, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, the Philippines (Mindanao including Bangsamoro and Mimaropa), Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and India (Andaman Islands, Nicobar Islands, Odisha).

The varieties ''alticola'' and ''atjehensis'' are found in Sumatera.
The varieties ''brevipes'', ''castaneus'' and ''rejangensis'' are found in Borneo.
The varieties ''longipetiolatus'' and ''nutans'' are found from Borneo to the Philippines (notably Palawan for var. ''longipetiolatus'' and the Sulu Archipelago for var. ''nutans'')
The variety ''siamensis'' is found in Thailand, Myanmar and India (including Assam and notably Odisha).

Habitat

In Cambodia and Vietnam it is found in open formations and in gallery forests, the edges of dense/closed forests. In Thailand's Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary it is a component of semievergreen forest.

Ecology

Parts of the plant (particularly the fruit) are eaten by the fruitbats ''Balionycteris maculata'', ''Chironax melanocephalus'', '' Cynopterus brachyotis'' and '' Cynopterus horsfieldii'', the kanchil ''Tragulus kanchil'', the langur '' Presbytis femoralis'', the pheasant '' Lophura erythrophthalma'', the porcupine '' Trichys fasciculata'', the rats '' Leopoldamys sabanus'' and ''Maxomys whiteheadi'', the squirrels ''Rhinosciurus laticaudatus'' and ''Lariscus insignis'', and the treeshrew '' Tupaia glis''. In Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand, the Asian black bear ('' Ursus thibetanus'') and the sun bear ('' Helarctos malayanus'') consume the fruit.

Vernacular names

Common names for the tree include: ''balunijok'' ( Karo, Sumatera);
''mendong'' (Temuan people, Malaysia).
''sa:ng nha:ng'' ( Khmer);
''sein-se-ba-lu'' (southern Shan State, Myanmar).

Uses

The trunk of the species is used to make short-lived constructions in Cambodia, while the twigs are often used as firewood. Amongst inhabitants of southern Shan State, Myanmar, the fruit of the var. ''siamensis'' are eaten. The bark of the taxa is used by the Karo people of Sumatera to treat impotence. The Temuan people living in the Ayer Hitam Forest of Selangor, Malaysia, use a poultice of pulped leaves of the tree to treat sores.

History

Karl Ludwig von Blume, a botanist born in Braunschweig but who studied in the Netherlands, described the nominate species in his Bijdragen tot de Flora van Nederlandsch Indië (Contributions to the Flora of the Netherlandish Indies) in 1825.
Mark James Elgar Coode (1937-), British botanist, reviewed the taxa and published the accepted varieties in the Kew Bulletin in 2001, see below.

Further reading

Additional information can be found in:
*Coode, M. J. E. 2001. Elaeocarpus for Flora Malesiana - the E. stipularis complex, E. nitidus group & E. barbulatus. Kew Bull. 56:535-563.
*Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1–915. chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
*Govaerts, R. (2001). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS E-F: 1–50919.
*Kiew, R. & al. (eds.) (2018). Flora of peninsular Malaysia. Series II: Seed Plants. volume 7 Malayan Forest Records 49: 1–321.
*Kress, W.J., DeFilipps, R.A., Farr, E. & Kyi, D.Y.Y. (2003). A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45: 1–590. Smithsonian Institution.
*Lê, T.C. (2005). Danh lục các loài thục vật Việt Nam hecklist of Plant Species of Vietnam3: 1–1248. Hà Noi : Nhà xu?t b?n Nông nghi?p.
*Newman, M., Ketphanh, S., Svengsuksa, B., Thomas, P., Sengdala, K., Lamxay, V. & Armstrong, K. (2007). A checklist of the vascular plants of Lao PDR: 1–394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.
*Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403–500.
*Toyama, H. & al. (2013). Inventory of the woody flora in Permanent plats of Kampong Thom and Kompong Chhnang provinces, Cambodia Acta Phytotaxonomica et Geobotanica 64: 45-105.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15318762

stipularis
Flora of Indo-China
Flora of Malesia
Flora of New Guinea
Plants described in 1825