Vatica guangxiensis S. L. Mo

This is an endangered species threatened by habitat loss. The durable wood is used for making boats and furniture and building houses.

Zhu and Wang (Acta Bot. Yunnan. 14: 21-24. 1992) thought that it was unreliable to separate Vatica xishuangbannaensis from V. guangxiensis based on the different number of lateral leaf veins; however, Li and Xu (Acta Bot. Yunnan. 23: 201-208. 2001) supported such a combination based on population genetic data.

Vatica fleuryana Tardieu, based on a type in flower from Vietnam but unknown in fruit, was associated by Smitinand et al. (Fl. Cambodge Laos Vietnam 25: 57. 1990) with V. diospyroides Symington, but may be the correct name for this species. Vatica diospyroides is a swamp species. The fruit will resolve the issue.

Trees to 40 m tall, ca. 90 cm in diam. Branchlets of current year densely yellowish brown to dark brown stellate-tomentose, old branchlets glabrous. Petiole 1.5-2 cm, densely yellowish brown pubescent; leaf blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 6-19 × 1.5-4 cm, thinly leathery, both surfaces with grayish yellow stellate hairs, glabrescent or abaxially sparsely stellate-pubescent and adaxially glabrous, lateral veins 12-18(-20) pairs raised on both surfaces, base cuneate, margin entire, apex acuminate or shortly acuminate. Panicles terminal or axillary, robust, to 12 cm, densely yellowish brown pubescent. Sepals densely pubescent on both surfaces. Petals white or reddish, ca. 15 × 5 mm, pubescent on parts exposed in bud. Stamens 15; filaments triangular, short; anthers oblong; connective appendages short, obtuse. Ovary subglobose, densely grayish yellow pubescent; style glabrous; stigma capitate, 3-lobed. Nut subglobose, pubescent; calyx without basal cup adnate to ovary; fruit sepals: 2 longer oblong-elliptic, to 8 × 2 cm, obtuse, longitudinally 5-veined; 3 shorter linear-lanceolate, to 2 × 0.5 cm, all sparsely stellate-pubescent. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Jul-Aug.

W Guangxi (Napo), S Yunnan (Mengla) [N Vietnam].

Mountain slopes, hills; 800-1000 m.

Vatica guangxiensis subsp. xishuangbannaensis (G. D. Tao & J. H. Zhang) Y. K. Yang & J. K. Wu; V. xishuangbannaensis G. D. Tao & J. H. Zhang.

Vatica guangxiensis is a species of plant in the family Dipterocarpaceae endemic to China.