Flora of Papua New Guinea 
Lae National Herbarium 
10083 Rhamnaceae 
Alphitonia excelsa (Fenzl) Reiss, ex Endl. sens. lat. 
=A!phitonia moluccana Teijsm. et Binn. 
East Sepik Province, vicinity of Langu village, alluvial forest on flood 
plasn ot tne Sanchi tributary, Sepik River, elev. <40 m near 4° 11’ S 
142° 44’ E * > 
with 10075 et seq.; serai treelet on banks of feeder stream, bark 
aromatic, the fragrance evocative of sarsaparilla (or Hubba-Bubba 
bubble gum, according to the natives); twigs subterete, puberulent 
weakly fractiflex; leaves alternate, distichous, exstipulate, papery' 
adaxial surface dark dull green, glabrous x abaxially white 
tomentulose, lamina lanceolate-elliptic, typical 15.5 cm x 6.5 cm, 
apex acuminate, margin entire, base truncate to subcordate; petiole 
c. 15 mm, hairy; leaf venation pinnate, laterals equispaced, c. 12-14 
pairs, straight - spreading at 45 deg. from the costa then abruptly 
arcuate at the margin, crossbars obliquely directed at the midrib, 
costa impressed above, all veins raised below; flowers not seen’ 
mfructescence axillary, paniculiform, approx. 10 cm length 
pedunculate, all axes pubescent, the pedicels recurved; fruits 
globose with an obconical cupule, epicarp entirely black, the inside 
oligospermous, testa crustaceous and red. 
Waskuk name= michika.’ The wood has various applications in 
construction. Villagers also report that fruiting in this species is a 
reliable indicator of dry conditions; with flowering alleaedlv 
restricted to the Sepik wet season. 
NCI screening code: U44Z-8704-V, -8705-W, -8706-X -8707-Y 
8708-Z; corresponding to SWD, SBK, BR, RTWD, LF+FR+SBk’ 7 
duplicates distributed through NCI. 
coll: W. Takeuchi 10083 
date: August 18, 1994 
det. WT, 8/2002 
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