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Genus Alectryon Family Sapindaceae

Description: Trees, hairy or glabrous, monoecious.

Leaves alternate, simple or paripinnate with leaflets mostly opposite, smallest ones often towards base of leaves; laminas with margins entire or toothed.

Inflorescences in upper axils, mostly racemose or paniculate. Flowers unisexual. Calyx tube shallow, usually 4–6-lobed. Petals absent, or 4 or 5, shortly clawed, scales crestless. Disc complete. Stamens 5–10; filaments shorter than anthers. Ovary 2–4-locular; 1 ovule per loculus.

Fruit usually 1–4-lobed, lobes mostly globose or sometimes compressed, 1-seeded; pericarp thin and drying ± crustaceous, splitting irregularly; seeds ± globose; aril cupular, granular or occasionally smooth.


Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 34 species, Hawaiian Is, Philipp., Indon., N.C., New Guinea, New Zealand, Australia. Australia: 13 species (12 species endemic), Qld, N.S.W., W.A. [includes Heterodendrum]

Text by G.J. Harden
Taxon concept:

 Key to the species 
1Leaves simple2
Leaves compound, paripinnate with 2 or more leaflets3
2Leaves usually more than 8 times as long as wide, margins always entireAlectryon oleifolius
Leaves usually less than 8 times as long as wide, at least some leaves with margins irregularly toothed
                       Back to 1
Alectryon diversifolius
3Leaflets entire4
Leaflets toothed
                       Back to 1
6
4Leaves with usually 2 or rarely 4 or 6 leaflets, discolorous with lower surface pale grey-green5
Leaves usually 4–6 or sometimes 2 leaflets, both surfaces more or less dark green
                       Back to 3
Alectryon subcinereus
5Apex of leaflets obtuse; confined to rainforest and scrub near the seaAlectryon coriaceus
Apex of leaflets shortly acuminate; in dry rainforest and scrub in the escarpment gorges and Western Slopes
                       Back to 4
Alectryon forsythii
6Leaves, branchlets and fruit glabrous or finely pubescent; leaflets 2–6; fruit usually 2-lobed7
Leaves, branchlets and fruit rusty-tomentose; leaflets 4–8; fruit usually 3-lobed
                       Back to 3
Alectryon tomentosus
7Leaflets usually more than 2 times as long as wide; lobes of fruit globose, glabrous; apex of leaflets mostly acuminateAlectryon subcinereus
Leaflets less than 2 times as long as wide; lobes of fruit more or less compressed at margins, hairy; apex of leaflets obtuse to more or less acute
                       Back to 6
Alectryon subdentatus

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