Moraceae

Trophis scandens subsp. scandens

(Synonym: Malaisia scandens subsp. scandens)

BURNY VINE, PURPLE CROW VINE, FIRE VINE

Woody climber or scandent shrub in juvenile stages, stems twining or scrambling, bark on twigs very tough. New growth orange. Latex milky, usually present in young stems or petioles when cut or broken, sometimes sparse. Buds and young stems hairy, stems becoming hairless, scabrous, with prominent lenticels; stipules 2, free, 5–15 mm long.

Leaves simple, alternate, variable in size and shape; lamina oblong-lanceolate to elliptic, 3–12 cm long, 2.5–5 cm wide, apex acuminate to acute or rounded, base rounded to tapered and often slightly asymmetric, margins on adult leaves entire or often with a few small teeth towards apex or margins (juvenile leaves regularly toothed or ± lobed), leathery, upper surface green and hairless, lower surface paler and ± scabrous from raised minor veins and at first usually hairy with broad-based simple hairs, falling and usually leaving small raised circular cystoliths; pinnately veined with 7–10 pairs of lateral veins, distinct on both surfaces, minor veins distinct and raised on lower surface; petiole 2–10 mm long.

Inflorescences axillary; male flowers in dense spikes 1–4 cm long, female flowers in few-flowered globose heads, c. 5 mm diam. Flowers unisexual and plants dioecious, actinomorphic, 3- or 4-merous; male flowers with perianth 3- or 4-lobed, hairy, whitish, stamens usually 3 or 4, inflexed in bud, reduced ovary usually present; female flowers with perianth urn-shaped, surrounded by overlapping bracteoles obscuring flowers except for bifid stigmas protruding through bracteoles, hairy, greenish, ovary superior, 1-locular.

Fruit fleshy, a drupe, ± ovoid, 5–8 mm long, red; drupes clustered on an expanded receptacle and surrounded by several ± fleshy pinkish bracteoles; stone solitary in each drupe.

Illustration of leaves & fruit

Habitat and Distribution:

In STRf, WTRf, LRf, DRf and VTs; north from Mt Dromedary (S of Narooma), N.S.W., to Torres Strait Islands, N Qld, and west to the Expedition Range N.P. (Taroom district), Qld; also in W.A., N.T., New Guinea, Pacific Islands, Malesia and SE Asia.

Notes:

Only the type subspecies grows in the area covered by this treatment. Trophis scandens subsp. megacarpa occurs on Lord Howe Island.

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