''Tetrameles'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Tetramelaceae The Tetramelaceae are a family of plants in the order Cucurbitales, containing two genera of mostly Asian, large trees, ''Octomeles'' and ''Tetrameles'', each with a single species. These genera were formerly placed in the Datiscaceae,van Steeni ...

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 Leaf, 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. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...

, and into northern Australia. The largest tree in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

is of this species, and was measured on February 29, 2016 by dendrologist Marc Meyer using a Nikon Forestry 500/pro laser. Its height is exactly 64.20 meters (210ft 7in) with a girth of exactly 24.20 meters ( 25ft 6in).

Taxonomy

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

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 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 certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

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 Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), 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 spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''nudiflora'' "bare flowers". The largest known tree in

and the largest known of its species anywhere, is a Tetrameles nudiflora at Ko Yao Noi, Phangnga, Thailand which has a DBH (Diameter at Breast Height) of 25ft 3in (24.20 meters girth) 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 Nilgiri Mountains, Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River. This place is ...

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 are forested ecoregions with tropical climates – that is, land areas approximately bounded by the Tropic of Cancer, tropics of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing ...

species, native to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

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 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

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, ...

East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

, and into the Cape York Peninsula in north

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

(Australia). In India, these trees can be found in particularly large numbers in the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary,

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

. In Myanmar, an old, around 60 m (200 ft) specimen can be found in the University of Yangon campus (illustrated). In Vietnam, where the species is called ''tung'' or ''thung'', a number of fin
specimens
are shown to visitors in Cat Tien National Park – 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 Flora of the Australasian realm Flora of the Indomalayan realm 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