142 Lumnitzera 
COMBRETACEAE 
Trees, shrubs or lianas. Indumentum of simple hairs often present. Leaves exstipulate, simple, 
entire, opposite, spirally arranged or alternate. Domatia and glands often present. Flowers bisexual 
or male, 4-5-merous, actinomorphic, in axillary spikes or racemes, epigynous. Bracteoles present or 
absent. Hypanthium usually in 2 distinct parts, the lower surrounding and adnate to the inferior 
ovary with the upper. part projecting to form a short or long tube terminating in the 4-5(8) calyx 
lobes. Petals 0, 4-5. Stamens usually twice as many as petals (when the latter are present), inserted 
inside calyx, in 2 series. Ovary unilocular, usually with 2-6 pendulous ovules. Fruit a drupaceous or 
dry pseudocarp, indehiscent, often winged or ridged, 1-seeded. 
A family of 20 genera and 500 species, widespread in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In 
Australia there are 6 genera including 1 introduced; 3 genera occur in the DR. [Byrnes, 1977a; Pedley, 1990]. 
1. Vines 2leaves OppOsitesrissmtamn catereresseereee este tictere reenter eee TTT STOTT Quisqualis 
als) sirees/orshrubs;ileavesispirallysarranged pensmntetanenniitrtentiet eerinittine titties 2 
28 Mangroves; bracteoles adnate on hypanthium ..........cccccscssssesssescscsesssssscsessscsssssessesesceeseenes Lumnitzera 
2% Savanna or monsoon forest trees; bracteoles absent .........ccccscscsessssssssessssscscscscsessesescscseeees Terminalia 
LUMNITZERA Willd. 
Small evergreen trees. Leaves spirally arranged, sessile or almost so, spathulate, clustered towards ends of 
branchlets, slightly fleshy, with a subapical gland on the ventral surface (sometimes obscure in L. racemosa), 
base tapering gradually, apex obtuse to emarginate. Flowers in racemes, 5-merous. Hypanthium rigid. Bracteoles 
persistent on ovary wall, midway along flower. Stamens 5-10, in 2 series, borne on inner wall of hypanthium, 
same colour and length as style and petals. Fruit dry, with a tough corky mericarp, dispersed by water. Calyx 
lobes and style persisting in fruit. Limb of persistent hypanthium striate. 
Distributed through E Africa, Madagascar, Asia, northern Australia and Polynesia. In Australia, 2 species, 
both occurring in the NT and the DR. [Wightman, 1989] 
1. Inflorescences;terminal flowers redusbesertce tt omit RT Tine L. littorea 
1. Inflorescencestaxillary sflowers,whiteprrcmrretriretrt inet iaten tren rere tte L. racemosa 
L. littorea (Jack) Voigt L. racemosa Willd. 
Tree to 13 m tall with dark grey, fissured bark, and 
with slender knee-like pneumatophores. Leaf blades 
slightly discolorous, 40-110 mm long, 7-22 mm wide. 
Inflorescence dense, terminal, 30-50 mm long. Calyx 
lobes c. 1.5 mm long; petals red, narrowly elliptic, c. 
7 mm long; ovary 4-5 mm long. Fruit green, ellip- 
soid, c. 15 mm long, 4 mm diam., ribbed. Flowering: 
June - Dec; fruiting: Feb, July - Aug. Fig. 45 
Northern Qld and the NT; outside Australia in 
tropical Asia and Polynesia. Uncommon in the DR, 
where known from Melville Is. and Cox Peninsula. 
Often growing in sandy freshwater seepages on the 
landward fringes of mangrove communities. 
Tree to 7 m tall, bark black, fissured, trunk 
often bearing adventitious roots at base during 
the wet season; roots lacking knee-like 
pneumatophores. All parts usually glabrous, 
but young leaves and buds sometimes with a 
soft indumentum. Leaf blades concolorous, 
20-82 mm long, 10-25 mm wide, subapical gland 
sometimes obscure. Inflorescences axillary, 
10-25 mm long. Calyx lobes broadly triangular, c. 
1.5 mm long; petals white, elliptic to narrowly 
elliptic, c. 5 mm long. Fruit green, ovoid, 10-12 mm 
long, c. 4 mm diam. Flowering: most months; 
fruiting: Nov - Mar. Fig. 45 
