The Philippine journal of science. [Vol. 67, no. 1]

288

The Philippine Journal of Science

1938

14.5 cm, petiole 2.5 cm long. Inflorescences terminal and axillary panicles, the ramifications of which, as well as outside of
sepals and petals, are gray with dense stellate tomentum. Flowers white, somewhat fragrant, nearly 1.25 cm long, on short
obconical pedicels. Sepals ovate, 4 mm long, 2 to 3 mm wide,
puberulous within. Petals elliptic, lanceolate, or ovate, narrowed at top and base, spreading after surpassing sepals, 9 to
10 mm long, 5 mm wide, with about 15 longitudinal nerves.
Stamens 9 to 10 mm long, filaments stout, 2.5 to 3 mm long,
0.6 mm wide at base, narrowed about 1.7 mm above base to
stalk about 1 mm long; anthers linear, 4.5 to 5 mm long, 0.6
mm wide at base, narrowing above to pointed apex which, like
appendage to connective, is only about 0.5 mm long. Ovary
depressed, spherical, faintly lobed, glabrous or pubescent, 1.2
mm high, about 2 mm in diameter, narrowing into long, cylindric, faintly ridged style, which is 5.5 mm long, 0.4 mm in diameter at base and 0.2 mm at top; stigma slightly concave, pubescent. Fruit tomentose, acuminate; wings of fruiting calyx
twisted, very unequal, the two largest 7 to 13 cm long, with 10
to 12 prominent nerves, the third 6.5 cm long, the others much
smaller. The number of nerves is variable as is also the size
of fruit. All parts of wings densely stellate pubescent when
young.
TYPES: Shorea contorta Vidal was described from Vidal 987
collected in Rizal Province; and Vidal 2159, collected in Tayabas Province. Pentacme paucinervis Brandis was described from
Vidal 79, collected in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac Provinces, Vidal
1166, collected in Ilocos Norte Province, and Vidal 2167, collected in Rizal Province.
This is one of the species producing the wood known as white
lauan and very extensively used. The structure of the wood has
been treated in detail by Reyes.
The tree is abundant in lowland forest from sea level up to
about 700 m.
Distribution.-Known only from the Philippine Islands, where
it is, apparently, the commonest and most widely distributed
species of the family. It is found from the Babuyanes Islands
to Basilan, and Whitford (1911), Foxworthy (1911), and Merrill (1923) have suggested that it is probably found in every
province. It is represented in the Philippine herbarium by
collections from:
BABUYANES. LUZON, Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos
Sur, Abra, Mountain, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac,