''Saraca celebica'', commonly known locally as Sejenis Ashoka, in is a species of plant in the family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

. It is a tree found only in

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Description

''Saraca celebica'' is a tree which grows up to in height. Leaves are 3-4 rows of jugate leaflets, growing long, with a short petiole, measuring long and with 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 ...

long, blackish-brown when dry. Leaflets are subcoriaceous and

glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...

, elliptic-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, and rarely ovate, measuring long by wide with petioles. Leaflets above are usually not larger than the lower ones and leaf bases are often accompanied by small marginal glands. Flowers are orange-red and fragrant. Corymbes are erect, compact, about wide,

, with branches up to thick.

Bracts 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 loo ...

and bracteoles are

caducous Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part. Structures that op ...

, subequal in size and shape, fusiform, ovate or obovate, with an obtuse or acute tips, growing about long and wide. Calyxes are , rarely , long, thick.

Pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the 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 branch ...

are long for the section between the calyx tube and bracteoles. Calyx lobes are oval or oblong, long by wide, with an obtuse apex.

Stamens 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 filamen ...

amount to 4, rarely 6.

have filaments growing long and anthers measuring about . Ovary stems are long, with ovaries being long. Styles are long. The fruits are pods, numbering 1-6 per corymb, woody, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, measuring about , being up to about thick; the base is obliquely cuneate and the top is acute-

acuminate The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...

, beaked, 5-6 seeded. Dry mature valves are somewhat coiled, about thick, with the inside containing traces of seed compartments. Immature pods are flat with somewhat thickened margins. Mature seeds are suborbicular, more or less depressed at the side of the hilum, about , hard, with a rounded edge, and a glossy dark brown surface. The hilum itself is small, about .

Taxonomy

''Saraca celibata'' was identified and described by Willem Jan Jacobus Oswald de Wilde in the Dutch journal of botany ''Blumea'' in 1967. A description of the fruits was missing from the original description, this was included in a 1981 ''Blumea'' article describing the then newly identified '' S. monadelpha''.

Etymology

''Celibata'' refers to Celebes, the name given to the island of Sulawesi by

Portuguese explorers Portuguese maritime explorations resulted in numerous territories and maritime routes recorded by the Portuguese on journeys during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of European exploration, chronicling and mapp ...

, to which it is endemic. A direct translation of ''Celebes'' is unclear, but it might be considered a Portuguese rendering of the native name "Sulawesi".

Distribution and habitat

The trees were observed in central and east

and were common along the Larona River, flowing from

Lake Towuti Lake Towuti () is a lake in East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi province, Indonesia. Surrounded by mountains, it is the largest lake of the island of Sulawesi and one of the five lakes of the Malili Lake system (the other being Matano, and the ...

. They grow along streams at a low altitude up to about .

Ecology

''S. saraca'' was observed to flower abundantly in June; collections of flowers were made in September and October. Mature seeds appeared to be rare in herbarium collections.

References

celebica Endemic flora of Sulawesi Trees of Sulawesi Near threatened plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Detarioideae-stub