Phoebe Nees von Esenbeck (1836: 98)

Chakrabarty, Tapas, Kumar, Anand & Ghoshal, Partha Pratim, 2023, A revision of the genus Phoebe (Lauraceae) in the Indo-Burmese region, Phytotaxa 606 (1), pp. 29-42 : 30-31

Phoebe Nees von Esenbeck (1836: 98) .

Type:— Phoebe lanceolata ( Nees von Esenbeck 1831: 71) Nees von Esenbeck (1836: 109) , lectotype designated by Kostermans (1952: 122).

Evergreen shrubs or trees, small to large; perulate buds present or absent; bud scale scars in diffuse clusters or in dense rings along the twigs; indumentum simple. Leaves alternate, evenly spaced along the twigs or somewhat clustered towards the tips of branchlets, entire, penniveined, often glaucous or glaucescent beneath; midrib usually incised on the upper surface, raised beneath; lateral veins slender or stout; tertiary veins scalariform to laxly reticulate; minor veinlets finely reticulate, often conspicuously raised on both surfaces; petioles usually channelled above. Inflorescences terminal, subterminal and axillary, paniculate-cymose, pedunculate, glabrous or variously pubescent. Flowers trimerous, bisexual; hypanthium cupular; tepals 6, usually ovate, apiculate, persistent; stamens 9 in 3 whorls, often pubescent towards base of filaments, those of whorl I and II eglangular, introrse, those of whorl III glandular, extrorse; anthers 4-locular, linear-oblong; staminodes 3, forming whorl IV, fleshy, sagittate; ovary ovoid or globose, sessile; style short; stigma small, capitate or discoid. Fruits fleshy, globose, ovoid or ellipsoid-oblong, enclosed at base by the stiff, erect, somewhat enlarged tepals; fruiting pedicel not or slightly thickened.

Key to the species

1. Bud scale scars in diffuse clusters along the branchlets ................................................................................................................... 2

- Bud scale scars forming dense rings along the branchlets ................................................................................................................3

2. Young shoots, undersurface of leaves and inflorescences tomentellous .......................................................................... 4. P. cathia

- Young shoots, undersurface of leaves and inflorescences glabrous or sparsely puberulous .......................................... 7. P. pallida

3. Leaves linear-lanceolate, 6–10 times longer than broad ......................................................................................... 1. P. angustifolia

- Leaves elliptic, oblong to lanceolate-oblong or obovate to oblanceolate, 3–5 times longer than broad .......................................... 4

4. Pedicels articulated towards base, with the stump persisting on the inflorescence when the flowers or fruits are shed .................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 3. P. bootanica

- Pedicels not articulated towards base, no stump persisting as above ............................................................................................... 5

5. Undersides of leaves, inflorescences and flowers glabrous ...................................................................................... 5. P. lanceolata

- Undersides of leaves, inflorescences and flowers variously pubescent ........................................................................................... 6

6. Leaves thinly coriaceous; fruits subglobose ............................................................................................................. 6. P. nicobarica

- Leaves membranous to chartaceous, fruits ovoid to ellipsoid .......................................................................................................... 7

7. Leaves predominantly obovate to oblanceolate, not narrowing towards apex; pedicels 1–3 mm long; tepals 3–3.5 mm long ......... ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 2. P. attenuata

- Leaves predominantly narrowly oblong-elliptic to lanceolate-oblong, narrowing towards apex, pedicels 3–5 mm long; tepals 3–5 mm long ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8. P. tavoyana