132 SONNERATIACEAE 
obcordate, oblanceolate to broadly elliptic, 
40-95 mm long, 18-80 mm wide, L/W 1-3, second- 
ary venation not evident, base attenuate, apex acute, 
obtuse or emarginate. Hypanthium 13-18 mm long. 
Sepals 16-23 mm long. Petals caducous or 
absent, white throughout or red at base, similar to 
staminal filaments, c. 30 mm long. Stamens 
35-40 mm long. Style 45-60 mm long. Fruit 
26-36 mm long, 20-37 mm wide. Flowering and 
fruiting: most months. Fig. 40 
Widespread from Africa to northern Australia; 
common in the DR. Typically on the seaward edges 
of mangroves on a variety of ‘substrates. 
S. lanceolata Blume 
S. caseolaris (L.) Engl., misapplied name 
Densely foliaged tree to 14 m; bark smooth with 
Sonneratia 
horizontal rings and orange pustules; pneumatophores 
thin, pointed, to 80 cm high. Leaves + sessile; blades 
elliptic to lanceolate, 60-130 mm long, 17-37 mm 
wide, L/W 2.7-4.8, coriaceous, penniveined with 
intramarginal vein, base attenuate, apex acute. 
Hypanthium 12-16 mm long. Sepals 18-25 mm long. 
Petals red, linear, 25-30 mm long. Stamens c. 50 mm 
long. Style c. 65 mm long. Fruit 20-36 mm long, 
32-45 mm wide. Flowering and fruiting: June - Oct. 
Fig. 40 
Indonesia, New Guinea, the NT and Qld. In the 
DR known from Melville Is. and the Wildman R.; 
also recorded from the South Alligator R. and Arnhem 
Bay. A mangrove on fine silts or muds in estuarine 
situations. Very few entire specimens were available 
for description because the petals and stamens of 
this species fall quickly after flowering; the cited 
references provide more complete descriptions. 
LYTHRACEAE 
Herbs, shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite or whorled, simple, usually entire; stipules vestigial or 
absent. Inflorescences various. Flowers 3-8-merous, bisexual, actinomorphic or zy gomorphic. 
Bracteoles present or absent. Hypanthium present. Sepals valvate, with or without appendages 
between the lobes. Petals alternate with sepals, rarely absent. Stamens usually in 2 whorls and twice 
the number of sepals or petals, sometimes in 1 whorl equal to, or less than, the number of sepals or 
petals. Ovary superior; carpels 2-6, fused; locules equal to number of carpels or rarely 1; placentation 
axile or free central. Fruit a capsule, dehiscing variously. 
A family of 28 genera and c. 660 species, widespread in tropical regions. In Australia there are 8 genera and 
24 species; 4 genera in the NT. [Hewson & Beesley, 1990] 
ogi WOO yeshrubSrrinmcrmntercariiser iter rice ttm ate Eee Pemphis 
Lt Anntallherbsiertrsstersreprreecsttrtrscecs iirenrti re ister icterecietsy oer eee EDT Tere eee AT 2 
2 Flowers axillary, solitary and sessile or subsessile .......c.sccsssesssssessessessecsessecsessecsessessesseesees Rotala 
2. Flowers in axillary cymes or if solitary then on long pedicels .........cs.sssssssssssessssecsseesseeenses 3 
3. Flowers 4-merous, in dense compound axillary CYMES .....c.sccscscssssssecssesecsessessecsecsecseesecsees Ammannia 
3. Flowers 5-6-merous, in simple axillary cymes or 4-merous and solitary Nesaea 
AMMANNIA L. 
Erect often reddish annual herbs, glabrous or almost so. Stems quadrangular. Stipules absent. Leaves 
opposite. Flowers in most axils, cymose, usually actinomorphic, 4-merous. Hypanthium campanulate. Calyx 
appendages absent or obscure. Petals present or sometimes absent. Stamens 4-8. Capsule reddish, hyaline; 
dehiscence irregular. 
A worldwide genus of c. 30 species; 4 in Australia and the NT, 2 in the DR. 
