HE GENERA BELOTIA Rich. AND TRICHOSPERMUM Bl. (Tiliaceae)

• Main Author: A.J.G.H Kostermans
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Indonesian Institute of Sciences 2014-01-01
• Series: Reinwardtia
• Subjects: HE GENERA BELOTIA Rich. AND TRICHOSPERMUM
• Online Access: http://e-journal.biologi.lipi.go.id/index.php/reinwardtia/article/view/223
• ISSN: 0034-365X; 2337-8824

The genus Belotia was founded in 1845 by A. Richard (in R. de la liagra, Hist. Cuba, Bot. 1: 207), based on a single species: B. grewiifolia; liichard added Grewia mexicana DC. (1824) as a synonym.<br />Sprague (in Kew Bull. 1921: 270—278) wrote a monograph on the knus. He characterized Belotia as follows: Presence of nectaries at the Itase of the petals and their absence on the androgynophore; the blue or Inlet, rarely white petals, the bilocular ovary with pluriovulate loculi; the ■culicidal capsule, strongly compressed transversally to the septum and ■ediscoid ciliate seeds. He than adds: "In all these respects Belotia resem-Ihles the Old-World genus Trichospermum, which differs in having a pair of I nectaries at the base of the lamina, and a pseudo- umbellate inflorescence".<br />The differences are consequently very small and since I found that le laminal nectaries occur only occasionally in one species of Tricho-tpermmn (javanicuvi), it becomes debatable, whether the inflorescence character is of such importance as to keep both genera apart.<br />Burret (in Notizbl. bot. Garten Berlin 9: 603. 1927) keys out Belotia against Trichospermum in the following way: Trichospermum with 25—50 ovules, irregularly placed, as against Belotia with 12—16 ovules per locule in two regular rows; inflorescences in the former axillary and bi-or pluri-chasial, in Belotia axillary and terminal panicles.<br />Furthermore he adds: fruit with 2, rarely 3 cells in Trichospermum is to the 2—3 celled fruit in Belotia; this — of course — is a differential character of little or no value.<br />Burret does not mention at all the laminal nectaries; according to him (p. 855) the number of ovules and their placentation should be the main differential character.<br />I had at my disposal far more material of Trichospermum than Burret and could examine numerous young fruit, where the number of ovules and their placentation may be easily observed.