''Cryptocarya elliptifolia'' is a
species of small
evergreen tree in the family
Lauraceae
Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...
. It is native to the
Philippines and
Orchid Island in
Taiwan.
It is classified as
Critically Endangered by the
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...
.
Taxonomy
''Cryptocarya elliptifolia'' was first described by the American botanist
Elmer Drew Merrill in 1919. The
type specimen was collected from forests along small streams in
San Andres, Catanduanes
San Andres, officially the Municipality of San Andres, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 38,480 people.
It is formerly known as Calolbon.
History
Span ...
(previously known as 'Calolbong'). The
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
is
Latin for "elliptical leaves". It is a member of the
genus ''
Cryptocarya'' in the laurel
family Lauraceae
Lauraceae, or the laurels, is a plant family that includes the true laurel and its closest relatives. This family comprises about 2850 known species in about 45 genera worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016 ). They are dicotyledons, and occur ma ...
.
Distribution
''Cryptocarya elliptifolia'' is native to the
Philippines and
Orchid Island in
Taiwan. Its populations are severely fragmented due to
urbanization.
Description
''Cryptocarya elliptifolia'' is a small tree, growing only to around tall. The leaves are large, around long and ,
ovate
Ovate may refer to:
*Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts
*Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe
*Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd
*Vates
In modern English, the nouns vates () and ovat ...
to
elliptic in shape (hence the name), and tapering to a sharp point (
acuminate). They are olive green in color and very smooth. The bark is also smooth and brown to olive green in color. The flowers and fruits are borne on
panicles
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are o ...
around long. The fruits, which are around in diameter, are round, black when dry, faintly ridged lengthwise and smooth.
See also
*
List of threatened species of the Philippines
This is a list of threatened plant and animal species in the Philippines as classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It includes Vulnerable (VU), Endangered (EN), Critically Endangered (CR), and recently Extinct ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15246918
elliptifolia
Flora of the Philippines
Flora of Taiwan
Critically endangered plants
Plants described in 1919