''Semecarpus magnificus'' is a species of

plant Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...

in the family

Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

Description

According to the original describer Karl Schumann, ''Semecarpus magnificus'' is a tree growing to 4–6 m tall. Its leaves are 0.7–1.2 m long and 10.5–20 cm wide near the tip. They are crowded together at the ends of the branches, as in ''

Clavija ''Clavija'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Primulaceae. Its native range is Tropical America. Species: *'' Clavija biborrana'' *'' Clavija caloneura'' *''Clavija cardenasii'' *''Clavija cauliflora'' *'' Clavija cla ...

'', ''

Theophrasta ''Theophrasta'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae, native to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Named in honor of the naturalist Theophrastus Theophrastus (; grc-gre, Θεόφραστος ; c. 371c. 287 BC), a Greek ...

'' and other similar genera. Schumann only had access to male flowers. They are grouped in

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed ...

s 60–80 cm long, that are composed of distant branches laden with flower clusters. The

calyx Calyx or calyce (plural "calyces"), from the Latin ''calix'' which itself comes from the Ancient Greek ''κάλυξ'' (''kálux'') meaning "husk" or "pod", may refer to: Biology * Calyx (anatomy), collective name for several cup-like structures ...

is about 1 mm long. The

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s are 3 mm long, the

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s 4 mm. The rudimentary

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the bod ...

is about 1 mm long. The fruit is about 3 cm long, including the

hypocarpium This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Gloss ...

, and 2.5 cm across.

Taxonomy

''Semecarpus magnificus'' was first described by Karl Schumann in 1889, based on a collection by Max Hollrung made during a research expedition to New Guinea from 1886 to 1888. Schumann used the feminine form of 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 ...

, ''magnifica'', as also noted by the

International Plant Names Index The International Plant Names Index (IPNI) describes itself as "a database of the names and associated basic bibliographical details of seed plants, ferns and lycophytes." Coverage of plant names is best at the rank of species and genus. It inc ...

, which alters it to ''magnificus'', in agreement with the masculine genus name.

Distribution

''Semecarpus magnificus'' is

. It was first observed in what was then

Kaiser-Wilhelmsland Kaiser-Wilhelmsland ("Emperor William's Land") formed part of German New Guinea (german: Deutsch-Neuguinea), the South Pacific protectorate of the German Empire. Named in honour of Wilhelm I, who reigned as German Emperor () from 1871 to 1888, ...

, in the northeast of the island.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18081274 Semecarpus Plants described in 1889 Endemic flora of New Guinea