Bennettiodendron leprosipes (Clos) Merrill

Bennettiodendron leprosipes is a highly polymorphic species in leaf shape, petiole length, inflorescence length, and fruit size.

"Bennettiodendron macrophyllum var. obovatum" (S. S. Lai, Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 14: 227. 1994) belongs here but was not validly published under Art. 37.2 of the Vienna Code because two gatherings were indicated as types (Longgang Expedition 10755 and J. Y. Luo & Q. R. Lai 8014).

Shrubs or small trees, evergreen, 2-6(-15) m tall; bark gray-brown, fetid, not flaking; branchlets terete, densely gray-brown puberulous, later glabrescent or subglabrous. Petiole 0.3-6 cm, rarely to 10 cm, brown puberulous, gradually glabrescent, with or without 2 glands at apex; leaf blade mostly narrowly to broadly elliptic, elliptic-oblong, or obovate, usually (5-)10-23 × 4-7.5 cm, papery or thinly papery, both surfaces glabrous, or puberulous along veins abaxially, hairs spreading and very short, midvein raised on both sides, lateral veins 7-9 pairs including 1 or 2 pairs from base, base usually acute-cuneate, less often obtuse-cuneate, rarely rounded, margin sparsely obtusely serrate, apex obtuse, contracting quite abruptly to an acumen to 2 cm. Inflorescence terminal, paniculate, 6-12(-20) × ca. 4.5 cm, many flowered (at least 20-30, usually more), initially densely brown puberulous, glabrescent, with age at least pistillate inflorescence rachises becoming pale brown or grayish and conspicuously densely pustular-lenticellate; bracts and bracteoles narrowly triangular, ca. 1 mm, pubescent. Flowers unisexual or apparently structurally bisexual, sordid-white or greenish yellow, scented. Pedicels 3-5 mm, to 1 cm in fruit. Staminate flowers: sepals broadly elliptic-ovate, 3-3.5 mm, texture thin, both surfaces sparsely pubescent to nearly glabrous, margin ciliate; stamens slightly exserted, light yellow, drying brown, filaments 3-4 mm, pubescent, hairs spreading, white when dried, long; anthers oblong; disk glands purplish when fresh. Pistillate flowers: sepals as in staminate flowers but ca. 1/2 as long; staminodes many, similar to stamens but usually only 1/2 as long; disk glands small, truncate, among staminode bases; ovary yellowish green to orange in fresh state, ovoid, somewhat collapsed and coarsely wrinkled in dried material, ca. 4 mm, placentas 2-4-ovuled; styles 3 or 4, sordid-white when fresh, filiform, ca. 1 mm, gla- brous; stigmas ca. 0.3 mm. Berry red when mature, drying black, globose, 6-9 mm in diam., pericarp thin, brittle when dry. Seeds 1 or 2, globose, (semiglobose when 2 present), 3-4 mm in diam. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. May-Nov.

Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan [Bangladesh, India, Indonesia (Java, Sumatra), Myanmar, Thailand].

Evergreen broad-leaved forests; 400-1800 m.

Xylosma leprosipes Clos, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 8: 230. 1857; Bennettia leprosipes (Clos) Koorders; B. longipes Oliver; Bennettiodendron brevipes Merrill; B. brevipes var. margopatens S. S. Lai ["margopatense"]; B. brevipes var. shangsiense (X. X. Chen & J. Y. Luo) S. S. Lai; B. lanceolatum H. L. Li; B. leprosipes var. ellipticum S. S. Lai; B. leprosipes var. pilosum G. S. Fan & Y. C. Hsu; B. leprosipes var. rugosifolium S. S. Lai; B. longipes (Oliver) Merrill; B. macrophyllum C. Y. Wu ex S. S. Lai; B. macrophyllum var. pilosum (G. S. Fan & Y. C. Hsu) S. S. Lai; B. shangsiense X. X. Chen & J. Y. Luo; B. simaoense G. S. Fan; B. subracemosum C. Y. Wu; Myroxylon leprosipes (Clos) Kuntze.