Hiptage

Gaertner

Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 169, plate 116, fig. 4. 1790. name conserved

Introduced
Etymology: Greek hiptamai, to fly, alluding to wind-dispersed samaras
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 361. Mentioned on page 355, 356, 362.

Shrubs or woody vines. Leaves usually bearing glands at apex of petiole or on blade at base or distally, on or near margin; stipules interpetiolar, occasionally minute or apparently lacking. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, usually elongate, occasionally condensed, racemes, these sometimes grouped in terminal panicles. Pedicels raised on peduncles. Flowers all chasmogamous, 6+ mm diam., showy with visible petals, stamens, and styles; calyx gland 1, decurrent, below posterior petal and between 2 adjacent sepals [2–10 (in 1–5 adjacent pairs), rarely 0]; corollas bilaterally symmetric, petals white or pink except posterior proximally yellow, distally white or pink [all white or pink], densely sericeous abaxially [in 1 species sparsely sericeous proximally], glabrous adaxially; stamens 10, all fertile; anther opposite anterior sepal largest, other 9 subequal; pistil 3-carpellate, carpels completely connate in ovary; style 1, on anterior carpel, tapered, curved toward posterior petal; stigma on internal angle or terminal but bent inward, small [large]. Fruits schizocarps, breaking into 3 samaras; samaras bearing 3 elongate lateral wings, 1 straddling plane of symmetry at apex of carpel, other 2 shorter, 1 on each side of plane of symmetry; dorsal wing usually absent, occasionally 1, much smaller than lateral wings; nut wall thick, tough.

Distribution

Introduced; Fla., se Asia (India & Pakistan to Taiwan), w Pacific Islands (Indonesia, Philippines).

Discussion

Species 25+ (1 in the flora).

Selected References

None.