Vasilis Teodoridis:
Combretaceae | Combretum
3. Combretum punctatum Blume; Bijdr. 640. 1826.
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Lianas to 8 m tall; stems to 3 cm in diam. Surface scales obvious; white to ferruginous; peltate; ca. 0.2 mm in diam. Branchlets together with petioles glabrous and sparsely to densely scaly. Leaves opposite; petiole 5-12 mm; leaf blade lanceolate; ovate-lanceolate; or narrowly elliptic; 5-10 x 3-6(-7) cm; both surfaces glabrous; sparsely to densely scaly; abaxially more densely so; base obtuse-rounded; apex abruptly caudate; cauda with rounded or obtuse tip; lateral veins in 4-6 pairs. Inflorescences terminal and axillary; compound; spikes 4-12 cm; usually grouped at branchlet apex and forming a panicle; axes glabrous; densely scaly; distal; flower-bearing part of spikes very condensed; capitate; not longer than 0.5 cm; or broadly cylindric or cylindric; 1-5 cm; bracts caducous; linear; very small. Flowers fragrant. Calyx tube distally funnelform-cupular; 5-7 mm; abaxially glabrous; densely scaly; adaxially with a ring of dense; coarse hairs not or only slightly exserted; lobes 4; broadly triangular; 0.5-1 mm; apex obtuse. Petals 4; white; 1.5-2 mm; clawed; limb obovate; narrowly elliptic; or oblanceolate. Stamens 8; exserted; ca. 4 mm. Fruit mid-brown; variable in shape and size; oblate; suborbicular; broadly ovoid; obovoid; or pyriform; 4-winged; 1.3-4 x 1.3-3.5 cm; glabrous; sparsely to densely scaly. Fl. Mar-Apr; fr. Apr-Jul.
Forests; thickets; scrub; 500-1500 m. SW Guangdong; S Guangxi; Hainan; S Yunnan [Bangladesh; Bhutan; India; Indonesia; Malaysia; Myanmar; Nepal; Philippines; Thailand; Vietnam].
Exell (in Steenis; Fl. Males.; ser. 1; 4: 539. 1954) recognized Combretum punctatum and C. squamosum as subspecies; with C. punctatum subsp. punctatum in montane regions and subsp. squamosum in the lowlands. The present authors follow Exell; but prefer the rank of variety; for consistency within this treatment.