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Horsfieldia
Scientific Name: Horsfieldia
Family: Myristicaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth:
Duration:
Other Names:
Horsfieldia
Horsfieldia is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the family Myristicaceae (the nutmeg family). The genus comprises about 90-100 species.
Considerations for Pets
- Horsfieldia australiana produces an edible seed.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Horsfieldia Willd.
- Family: Myristicaceae
- Major Group: Angiosperms (Flowering plants)
- Synonyms:
- Endocomia W. J. de Wilde
- Myristica irya Gaertn.
- Myristica irya var. ceylanica C. Y. Wu
- Myristica globularia var. subglobosa (Miq.) Miq.
- Horsfieldia subglobosa (Miq.) Warb.
- Horsfieldia nana Kanehira
- Horsfieldia lemanniana (A. DC.) Warb.
Distribution and Habitat
- The genus Horsfieldia is distributed across South Asia, from India to the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.
- Specific species have narrower distributions; for example:
- Horsfieldia whitmorei is endemic to the Solomon Islands, and possibly Papua New Guinea.
- Horsfieldia iryaghedhi is endemic to Sri Lanka.
- Horsfieldia superba is found in Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, and Singapore.
- Horsfieldia grandis is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
- Horsfieldia wallichii is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
- Horsfieldia coriacea is endemic to Sulawesi in Indonesia.
Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits
- Horsfieldia species are evergreen trees.
- Some species can reach considerable heights, such as Horsfieldia sucosa, which can reach 30 meters.
- Horsfieldia australiana is an evergreen tree with a dense, spreading crown, growing to 10-12 meters tall.
- Trees can grow to 25 m tall, 20-40 cm d.b.h. Bark grayish white branches spreading, rarely drooping twigs
Traditional Uses
- In Sri Lanka, Horsfieldia iryaghedhi is known as "ruk - රුක්" in Sinhala.
- Horsfieldia australiana is harvested from the wild for its edible seed.
Interactions with Other Organisms
- Horsfieldia kingii has interesting flowering pattern and fruiting dynamics that influence hornbill foraging.
Quirky Facts
- Horsfieldia superba is dioecious. This means each individual tree carries only male or female flowers.
- The pistillate (female) flowers of Horsfieldia are morphologically similar to those of Myristica (another genus in the Myristicaceae family).
Further Information
- ARKive provides photos and facts on Horsfieldia.
- Plant illustrations are available at http://plantillustrations.org/taxa.php?taxon=Horsfieldia.