Balakata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamily: Euphorbioideae
Tribe: Hippomaneae
Subtribe: Hippomaninae
Genus: Balakata
Esser
Synonyms[1]

Sapium sect. Pleurostachya Pax & K.Hoffmann.

Balakata is a genus of trees in the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1999.[2] It is native to Southeast Asia, southern China, the Himalayas, and New Guinea.[3][4][5] The genus name was inspired by balákat-gúbat ("shoulder-tree"), the Philippine common name for B. luzonica.[4]

Balakata baccata grows up to 26 meters tall, while B. luzonica can reach 36 metres (118 ft). These trees have alternately arranged leaves 3.5 to 11 centimetres (1.4 to 4.3 in) long, usually with large basal glands on the undersides. The undersides are also whitish in color in B. baccata, but not in B. luzonica. The former has longer petioles than the latter. The trees are monoecious, with inflorescences containing several male flowers and usually at least one female flower at the base. The fruit is smooth and fleshy. That of B. baccata usually contains two seeds, while the fruit of B. luzonica has a single seed.[4][1]

Both species yield useful wood; B. luzonica wood may have commercial value.[4]

Species[3]
  1. Balakata baccata (Roxb.) Esser - Yunnan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Assam, Bhutan, Andaman & Nicobar, Borneo, Sumatra, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
  2. Balakata luzonica (Vidal) Esser - Philippines, Sulawesi, Maluku, New Guinea

References

  1. 1 2 Flora of China Vol. 11 Page 283 浆果乌桕属 jiang guo wu jiu shu Balakata Esser, Blumea. 44: 154. 1999.
  2. ↑ Esser, Hans-Joachim. 1999. Blumea 44: 154-157
  3. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. 1 2 3 4 Balakata. Malesian Euphorbiaceae Descriptions. Nationaal Herbarium Nederland.
  5. ↑ Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.


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