Reevesia thyrsoidea
Reevesia thyrsoidea Lindl.
Reevesia thyrsoidea is a species of evergreen tree in the Malvaceae family, native to regions in Southeast and South-Central China, as well as Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Hainan. It flowers from March to April and fruits from September to December, typically found in forested slopes and stream banks at elevations of 500–1500 m. Taxonomic studies have shown that several previously described species, including R. pycnantha, R. lancifolia, R. botingensis, R. formosana, R. lofouensis, R. longipetiolata, R. parvifolia, R. macrocarpa, and R. shangszeensis, are synonyms of R. thyrsoidea due to overlapping morphological traits and variable characteristics.
Description
Reevesia thyrsoidea is an evergreen tree with gray-brown bark and brownish-black, sparsely stellate puberulent branchlets when dried. Leaves are oblong to elliptic, 2.5–18 cm long, with leathery, glabrous surfaces and 5–7 lateral veins on each side of the midrib. The inflorescence is cymose–corymbose, densely flowered, and puberulent. Flowers have a campanulate calyx (ca. 6 mm), white spatulate petals (ca. 10 mm), and an androgynophore of 2–3 cm. The ovary is globose, 5-celled, and hairy, with a puberulent, 5-angled capsule on a 4.5 cm stipe. Seeds are ca. 2–4 cm including the wing. Taxonomic studies have demonstrated that several species previously described as distinct are now considered synonyms due to overlapping morphological variation and lack of consistent distinguishing features.
Distribution
Global · Cambodia · China South-Central · China Southeast · Hainan · Laos · Taiwan · Vietnam
Synonyms
Reevesia parvifoliaReevesia macrocarpaReevesia botingensisReevesia lofouensisReevesia formosanaReevesia taiwanensisReevesia shangszeensisReevesia lancifoliaReevesia pycnanthaReevesia longipetiolata
