Loheria Merr.

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution

A small genus of six species in Malesia; two endemic to New Guinea with only one species arborescent: Loheria reiniana (M.Jacobs) Sleumer.

Morphology General Habit

Small trees (to 6 m in New Guinea), sparsely branched or unbranched

Morphology Branches

Branches bearing prominent cataphylls in spirals alternate with the leaves

Morphology Leaves

Leaves pseudo-verticillate, shortly petiolate or subsessile, usually swollen (appearing pulvinate), crowded at the apex. Inflorescences on special leafless branchlets, or axillary, the branchlets or peduncles with reduced leaves transitional to large caducous bracts

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers 4- or 5-merous, unisexual (plants dioecious); calyx deeply lobed; corolla imbricate in bud, deeply lobed, tube very short, lobes reflexed at anthesis; stamens with free filaments adnate to the corolla tube only at base, anthers basifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits; staminodes present in pistillate flowers as reduced stamens; pistillode present or absent in staminate flowers; ovary globular, style stout, stigma discoid to capitate, ovules few, uniseriate. Fruit subglobose, exocarp thin, endocarp thin, smooth

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed 1

Ecology

The two species of Loheria are found in primary lowland or montane forest from 30 to 1800 m.

Recognition

The genus can be recognised by the distinct habit being unbranched or with few branches with the leaves crowded at the apex giving an ‘umbrella’ like appearance, the unisexual flowers with a slender, elongate style (compared to the short, thick styles with capitate or discoid stigmas in Discocalyx and Fittingia).