Ailanthus integrifolia Lam. subsp. integrifolia

Simaroubaceae

Nooteboom, H.P. (1966) Flora Malesiana Series I 6: 218.

White Bean; WHITE SIRIS; Siris, White; Ferntop Ash; Bean, White; Ash, Ferntop

Lenticels very numerous. Orange speckled or an orange granular layer visible in the blaze. Blaze odour resembles that of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) or peas (Pisum sativum).

Leaf bearing twigs about 1-2 cm diam. Leaflet blades +/- falcate, about 7.5-19 x 1.7-8 cm, very unequal-sided particularly at the base. Domatia are rather inconspicuous tufts of hair. Midrib slightly raised on the upper surface of the leaflet blade. Numerous, closely packed oil dots in the leaflet visible only with a lens.

Inflorescence up to 30 cm long. Flowers about 13-15 mm diam. Sepals about 1.5-2 x 3 mm. Petals about 6 x 2.5-3 mm, puberulous. Stamens or staminodes 10, filaments about 2 mm long, anthers about 1 mm long. Carpels five, about 2 mm long. Ovules 1 per carpel. Unisexual and hermaphroditic flowers are difficult to distinguish from one another.

Fruits cream to pale brown in colour, texture papery, samaras about 10-12 x 2.5-3.5 cm. Main vascular bundle to the seed connected to a vein on the margin of the samara.

Cotyledons fleshy, without venation, about 13-14 x 11-12 mm. First pair of leaves simple, by the 5th leaf, leaves usually trifoliolate. Lateral leaflets of trifoliolate leaf very small compared to middle leaflet. At the tenth leaf stage: leaflet blade with a few hairs on both the upper and lower surfaces along the midrib. Seed germination time 17 to 24 days.

Occurs in CYP and NEQ. Altitudinal range from near sea level to 300 m. Grows in gallery forest and other rain forests. Also occurs in Malesia and the Solomon Islands.

This species has exhibited some anti-tumour activity.

Produces a pale rather soft timber.

Wood specific gravity 0.43 Cause et al. (1989).

Ailanthus integrifolia Lam., Encyclopedie Methodique. Botanique : 417(1789), Type: Arbor coeli sive Caju langit, Rumph. Herb Amb. 3 (1743) 205, t. 132. Ailanthus integrifolia Lam., Dict. 3: 2(1792), Type: Based on Arbor coeli sive Caju langit, Rumph. Herb. Amb. 3 (1743) 205, t. 132.