Wrightia laevis Hook.f.

Hooker, J.D. (1882) The Flora of British India : 654. Type: Malacca; Mt. Ophir, Maingay (Kew Distrib. 1065).

Millgar; White Cheesewood

Exudate rapid and copious.

Petioles and twigs produce a milky exudate. Twigs usually reddish brown and lenticels often conspicuous. Leaf blades about 7-18 x 3-8 cm, petioles about 0.5-1 cm long. Lateral veins about 6-11 on each side of the midrib.

Inflorescence about 2-3 cm long, shorter than the leaves. Flowers about 15-20 mm diam. Calyx lobes about 1-2 mm long, ciliate, glabrous or puberulent with flat, ovate glands about 0.5-0.6 mm long on the inner surface. Corolla tube cylindrical, about 1.5-3 mm long, lobes narrowly obovate to obovate, about 5.5-13.3 mm long, puberulent. Corona fimbriate, about as long as the stamens or slightly longer. Staminal filaments about 1.5 mm long, almost as wide as the base of the anther. Anthers about 5-6 mm long, broad at the base and tapering to the apex. Ovaries glabrous, about 1.5 mm long. Style about 4 mm long.

Follicles about 20-35 cm long, lenticellate. Seeds about 20 mm long, with a tuft of white silky hairs about 40 mm long at one end. Cotyledons convolute.

Cotyledons cordate, about 15-22 x 15-18 mm, apex acute. First pair of leaves glabrous, narrowly lanceolate, about 30-35 x 5-9 mm, margins smooth. At the tenth leaf stage: leaves lanceolate, apex acuminate, base obtuse or cuneate, glabrous; petiole and stem with a few scattered pale hairs. Milky exudate from stems, petioles and leaf blades.

Widespread in CYP and NEQ about as far south as Tully. Altitudinal range from sea level to 300 m. Grows in well developed lowland rain forest but also extends to drier rain forest. Also occurs in Malesia.