A flora of Manila - Rainforestation

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A FLORA OF MANILA
Pods rather rigid, flat, indehiscent, oblong or strap-shaped, with a distinct
wing down one or both sutures. (Greek "membrane'' from the thin pods
of some species.)
Species about 40, in most tropical countries, about 12 in the Philippines.
1. Vexillary filament free throughout; flowers solitary on the nodes of the
inflorescence 1. D. diadelpha
1. Vexillary filament more or less united with the others; flowers fascicled
on the usually thickened nodes of the inflorescence.
2, Leaflets 9 to 13; pods 4 to 6 cm long, about 1 cm wide.... 2. D. scandena
2. Leaflets 3 to 7; pods 2.5 to 5 cm long, 2 to 3 cm wide.... 3. D. trifoliata
1. D. diadelpha (Blanco) Merr. (D. sinuata Thwaites). Tibalao, Baga-
rilao (Tag.).
A scandent shrub 2 to 8 m high. Leaves 15 to 30 cm long; leaflets
large, 7 to 11, oblong to oblong-ovate, broadly acuminate, 6 to 15 cm long.
Panicles about as long as the leaves, pubescent. Flowers numerous, white,
about 1.5 cm long, the calyx pubescent. Vexillary filament entirely free
from the others. Pods 4 to 12 cm long, about 2 cm wide, rather hard,
narrowly winged down one suture, containing from 1 to 4 seeds. (Fl. Filip.
pi. 336, D. floribimda.)
In thickets near Caloocan, occasional, fl. Apr.-June; widely distributed
in the Philippines. Ceylon and India to Indo-China and Malaya.
2. D. scandens (Roxb.) Benth.
A scandent shrub 3 to 6 m high, somewhat ferruginous-pubescent or
nearly glabrous. Leaves odd-pinnate, about 15 cm long. Leaflets 9 to
13, oblong-ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, 2 to 6 cm long, 1 to 2.5 cm wide,
apex broadly acuminate, usually retuse. Racemes axillary, few- to manyflowered,
longer than the leaves, the flowers usually fasciculate on the
very short lateral branches. Calyx dull-purple, somewhat oblique, 3 mm
long. Corolla white, about 1 cm long. Pods flattened, lanceolate or oblonglanceolate,
narrowed at both ends, 4 to 6 cm long, about 1 cm wide, with
a narrow wing along the dorsal suture, containing from 1 to 3 seeds. (Fl.
Filip. pi. 232, Galedupa frutescens.)
In thickets, Malate, Malinta, etc., fl. June-Sept. ; widely distributed in the
Philippines. India to China, Malaya, and northern Australia.
3. D. trifoliata Lour. {D. uliginosa Roxb.).
A scandent glabrous shrub reaching a length of 8 m or less. Leaves
10 to 20 cm long; leaflets shining, oblong-ovate, acuminate, 3 to 7, very
variable in size, 4 to 13 cm long. Inflorescence of simple, axillary racemes
or narrow panicles, 5 to 10 cm long. Flowers white, often tinged with
violet, 8 to 10 mm long. Pods subrhomboid to broadly oblong, 2.5 to 5
cm long, 2 to 3 cm wide, glabrous, 1- or 2-seeded, prominently veined,
with a narrow wing along the upper suture. (Fl. Filip. pi. 161, D. for-
steniana.)
In thickets along the tidal streams, fl. more or less all the year; along
the seashore and tidal streams throughout the Philippines. Tropical Africa
and Asia, through Malaya to Australia and Polynesia.
37. PI SUM Linnaeus
Annual herbs with equally pinnate leaves, ending in a branched tendril,
the stipules large, leaf-like. Flowers white, axillary, solitary, pedicelled.