BURSERACEAE
Morphological description
Plants woody; very exceptionally climbing; resiniferous, bark with a light coloured wavy sclerenchymatic band, resiniferous ducts on the inside of this; the same feature only known from Anarcardiaceae (hand lens).
Leaves
Leaves imparipinnate, spiral, leaflets usually entire, usually pulvinate penninerved. pseudostipules (some Canarium, Dacryodes and Garuga); leaflets dentate in some Canarium.
Inflorescence
Inflorescence dioecious.
Flowers
Flower (usually) 3-merous, petals free, disk present; ovary superior, ovules 2 per cell. Excentric stigma in Santiria.
Fruits
Fruit with 1 seed per cell, fruit usually a drupe. Fruit 3-winged (Triomma)
Different from: Anacardiaceae sap turning black (also turning black in a few Canarium spp., 1 ovule per cell. — Sabiaceae (Meliosma): not resiniferous, petals opposite the sepals, 1 ovule per cell.
Distribution: The family pantropical. In Malesia 8 genera, incl.: - Canarium (paleotropical), lowland rain forest, some in monsoon forest; - Dacryodes (pantropical); - Haplolobus (Borneo to Samoa); - Santiria (paleotropical); all trees of the tropical lowland rain forest.
Notes: The drupes of several species eaten by birds and primates; edible seeds or fruits: some Canarium, Dacryodes, Protium. — Ornamentals: Canarium — Resin: some Canarium. — Timber: some species of Canarium, Dacryodes and Santiria.
Literature: P.W. Leenhouts, Fl. Males. I, 5 (1955) 209-296; ibid. I, 6 (1972) 917-928; K.M. Kochummen, Tree Fl. Sabah & Sarawak 1 (1995) 45-100.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Burseraceae plants with white or yellow sap (p.p.), resinous exudate (p.p.), leaf with domatia (p.p.), leaf margin dentate/ serrate (p.p.), fruit ridged (p.p.), Canarium plants with black or brown sap (p.p.), stipules pectinate (p.p.), stipules foliaceous (p.p.), rachis with swollen nodes (p.p.), leaves palmately compound (p.p.),flowers 3-merous (p.p.),stigma broad sessile (p.p.), Dacryodes rachis with swollen nodes, leaves palmately compound (p.p.),flowers 3-merous (p.p.),stigma broad sessile; D. nervosa stellate hairs, Garuga leafless when flowering, Haplolobus flowers 3-merous (p.p.),stigma broad sessile, Protium armed plants, leaves palmately compound (p.p.). Santiria leaves palmately compound (p.p.), flowers 3-merous (p.p.), stigma broad sessile,style excentric, fruit blue (p.p.), Triomma plants with black or brown sap (p.p.),stigma broad sessile, fruit winged, seeds winged.
Illustrations: Fig. 20. Canarium australianum F. Muell.: a. habit; b. flower; c. LS female flower; d. LS male flowers; e. fruits; f. CS fruit; g. CS stem & Fig. 21. Garuga floribunda Decne.: a. leaf; b. inflorescence; c. LS flower; d. fruits. P.W. Leenhouts, Fl. Males. I, 5 (1955).
Images in PhytoImages for Burseraceae.