Knema curtisii Warb., Nova Acta Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. German. Nat. Cur. 68: 567 (1897)

Species named after 'C Curtis' [1853-1928], an English botanist and former director of the botanical garden of Penang (Malaysia).

Synonyms
Myristica curtisii King

Diagnostics
Understorey tree, with or without stilt roots. Red sap. Leaves alternate, without stipules, twigs densely haity (rusty brown), leaves relatively small and narrow, clearly withish below. With small reddish flowers in bundles along twigs.

Description
Shrub or tree 2-10(-35) m. Twigs sometimes faintly 2- or 3-angled, (0.5-)1-2 mm in diameter, yellow to brownish, at first with indumentum composed of greyish hairs 0.1 mm long or less, early glabrescent; bark finely striate, not cracking nor flaking. Leaves membranous or chartaceous, of variable shapes, elliptic, obovate, or ovate to lanceolate, 3.5-15(-20) by 1.2-4(-6.5) cm., base cuneate to attenuate, rarely +/- rounded, apex acute (-acuminate), sometimes blunt or rounded; greenish or dark brown above; on lower surface greyish, very finely papillate, at first with dense hairs 0.1 mm long, early glabrescent; dots absent; midrib raised above, nerves (6-)8-14(-20) pairs, flat to slightly raised above; venation (very) fine, distinct above or not; petiole 5-20 by 0.7-1.5 mm. Inflorescences: peduncle up to 1 mm, brachyblast simple or forked, up to 5 mm long, in male (2-)5-15- flowered, in female l-3(-5)-flowered; flowers with persistent or partially caducous greybrown or rusty hairs 0.1-0.3 mm long, perianth 3- (or 4-)lobed, cream to pink inside. Male flowers: pedicel 5-11 mm long, bracteole subpersistent, median, or considerably below or above; buds subglobose or broadly obovoid, apex often depressed, in cross section circular, obtusely or sharply angled (see the note under the type variety), 2.5-5 (-5.5) mm in diameter, cleft 2/3-4/5, lobes 0.5(-0.8) mm thick; staminal disc flat, slightly concave, or with a small minute mammilla, subtriangular, 1.7-3 mm in diameter; anthers 9-25(-30) (i.e., with 18-50 thecae), completely sessile, 0.2-0.4 mm, closely appressed, erect or horizontal, hidden under the rim of the staminal disc or partially emergent; androphore slender or broad and tapering, 1-2 mm long. Female flowers: pedicel 5-10 mm long, bracteole about the middle; buds ellipsoid to obovoid or subglobose, 4-5 by 2.5-4 mm, cleft 1/2-2/3, lobes 0.7-1 mm thick; ovary ovoid, 1.5-3 mm long; style up to 0.5 mm long, stigma 6-8-lobulate, i.e., 2-lobed and each lobe again 3-4(-5)- lobulate. Fruits 1 or 2 per infructescence, +/- ellipsoid, ridged, apex acute, base obtuse, or often up to 5 mm narrowed (beaked) at both ends, 2-5 by 1.5-3 cm, with greyish to rusty hairs 0.1-0.2 mm long, or glabrescent; dry pericarp 1-2.5 mm thick; fruiting pedicel 8-16 mm long. [from Flora Malesiana]

Ecology
Primary and degraded forest, hill slopes; on a variety of soil types: clay, loam, sandy clay, sandstone, lime-containing soils, also found in swamps, usually with stilt-roots; 0-1000 m altitude

Uses

Distribution
Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo.

Local names