''Pseuduvaria multiovulata'' is a species of

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

in the family

Annonaceae The Annonaceae are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of trees, shrubs, or rarely lianas commonly known as the custard apple family or soursop family. With 108 accepted genera and about 2400 known species, it is the largest ...

. It is native to

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. Cecil Fischer, the Indian botanist who first formally described the species using the

basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...

''Mitrephora multiovulata'', named it after its many (, in Latin)

ovule In seed plants, the ovule is the structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells. It consists of three parts: the ''integument'', forming its outer layer, the ''nucellus'' (or remnant of the sporangium, megasporangium), ...

d (, in Latin)

ovaries The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are endocr ...

Description

It is a small tree reaching 6 meters in height. The young, light brown to black branches are slightly covered in hairs and have sparse

lenticel A lenticel is a porous tissue consisting of cells with large intercellular spaces in the periderm of the secondarily thickened organs and the Bark (botany), bark of woody stems and roots of gymnosperms and dicotyledonous flowering plants. It func ...

s. Its elliptical, papery to slightly leathery leaves are 11–17.5 by 3.5–7 centimeters. The leaves have pointed to blunt bases and tapering tips, with the tapering portion 5–13 millimeters long. The leaves are hairless on their upper and lower surfaces. The leaves have 10–12 pairs of secondary veins emanating from their midribs. Its slightly hairy petioles are 4–8 by 1–2.5 millimeters with a narrow groove on their upper side. Its solitary

Inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s occur on branches, and are organized on densely hairy peduncles that are 2–4 by 0.6–1.1 millimeters. Each inflorescence has 1–2 flowers. Each flower is on a sparsely hairy pedicel that is 20–60 by 0.4–1.3 millimeters. The pedicels are organized on a

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the ''rachi ...

up to 5 millimeters long that have 3–4

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

s. The pedicels have a medial, very densely hairy

that is 1–2 millimeters long. Its flowers are unisexual. Its flowers have 3 oval

sepals A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

, that are 2–4 by 2.5–3.5 millimeters and partially fused at their base. The sepals are hairless on their upper surface, densely hairy on their lower surface, and hairy at their margins. Its 6 petals are arranged in two rows of 3. The white, elliptical, outer petals are 7.5–11 by 5.5–8 millimeters with hairless upper and sparsely hairy lower surfaces. The purple to purple-green, diamond-shaped inner petals have a 3–9 millimeter long

claw A claw is a curved, pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most amniotes (mammals, reptiles, birds). Some invertebrates such as beetles and spiders have somewhat similar fine, hooked structures at the end of the leg or Arthro ...

at their base and a 9–18.5 by 5.5–9.5 millimeter blade. The inner petals have pointed bases and tips. The inner petals are slightly hairy on their upper surface and densely hairy on their lower surfaces. The inner petals have two, square, smooth, prominently raised glands on their upper surface. Male flowers have 110–115

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s that are 0.8–1.4 by 0.6–1 millimeters. Female flowers have up to 11

carpels Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ...

that are 2.6–2.8 by 1.1-1.3 millimeters. Each carpel has up to 17

s arranged in two rows. The female flowers have up to 2 sterile stamens. The fruit occur in clusters of 1–2 that are organized on hairless peduncles that are 3.5–6 by 2-2.5 millimeters. The fruit are attached by hairless pedicles that are 26–36 by 1.5–2 millimeters. The green, mature fruit are elliptical and 25–34 by 17–27 millimeters. The fruit are smooth, and very densely hairy. Each fruit has up to 17 lens-shaped, wrinkly seeds that are 13–18.5 by 6–8.5 by 2.5–4.5 millimeters.

Reproductive biology

The pollen of ''P. multiovulata'' is shed as permanent tetrads.

Habitat and distribution

It has been observed growing in lowland forests at elevations of 100–700 meters.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17135306 multiovulata Flora of Myanmar Plants described in 1926 Taxa named by James Sinclair (botanist) Taxa named by Cecil Ernest Claude Fischer