Vasilis Teodoridis:
Flacourtiaceae | Casearia
7. Casearia membranacea Hance; J. Bot. 6: 113. 1868.
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Casearia aequilateralis Merrill.
Trees or shrubs; 4-18 m tall; terminal buds glabrous or hairy; twig tips and branchlets usually glabrous. Stipules ovate; small; ca. 1 mm; abaxially sparsely appressed hairy; ciliate; apex acute; early caducous; petiole 6-12 mm; pubescent at first; soon glabrous or subglabrous; leaf blade variable in size; shape; and texture; often elliptic or oblong; sometimes ovate-oblong or obovate; 5-12(-14) x 2.5-5(-6) cm; papery; sometimes thinly so; or slightly leathery; both surfaces glabrous; lateral veins 5-7(-10) pairs; arching upward; base mostly acute to obtuse; sometimes cuneate; attenuate; nearly rounded or asymmetric; margin serrulate; crenulate or nearly entire; apex broadly acute to rounded; contracting gradually or more usually abruptly to a short acumen to 1 cm. Pedicels 5-6 mm in flower; to ca. 9 mm in fruit; articulate at base; usually glabrous; rarely sparsely puberulous; bracts broadly ovate or triangular; ca. 2 mm; abaxially hairy; at least along median line. Flowers few to many in axillary glomerules; small. Sepals 5; broadly elliptic; obovate; or obovate-oblong; ca. 2.5 mm; both sides usually glabrous; outside rarely sparsely puberulous. Stamens 8-10; filaments usually glabrous; rarely puberulous; 1-2 mm; anthers ovoid-ellipsoid. Disk lobes oblong or triangular; ca. 1/2 as long as anthers; adaxially glabrous; apex densely hairy; hairs white or reddish; long. Ovary conic; glabrous; rarely puberulous; style short; stigma capitate. Capsule 1-1.5(-4) cm; ellipsoid to oblong; leathery; in dried material usually strongly angled or ridged; pericarp sometimes veined but not vesicular-warty; seeds several; pale brown when dry; 4-5 mm; enveloped by a thin; fleshy; partly fimbriate; pale yellowish aril. Fl. Apr-Jan; fr. following May-Jan.
Forests in mountains; low elevations. Guangdong; Guangxi; Hainan; Taiwan; Yunnan [Vietnam].
In FRPS (52(1): 78. 1999); the name Casearia virescens Pierre ex Gagnepain was misapplied to this species.
Casearia membranacea is easily confused with C. glomerata; see notes under that species.
Wang 39266; collected from Pingnan; Guangxi; has unusually large leaves (10-14 x 5-6 cm) and capsules (3-4 cm).