Murraya J.Koenig

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

Distribution

A genus of five species from India to Malesia, Australia and New Caledonia. Two species in New Guinea: Murraya crenulate (Turcz.) Oliv. and M. paniculata (L.) Jack, the latter of which is native but also cultivated as an ornamental.

Morphology General Habit

Trees and shrubs to 5 m tall, bark often very pale Plants glabrous

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, paripinnate or imparipinnate with 3–9(–25) leaflets, rarely unifoliolate, leaflets alternate, sometimes unequal at the base, petiolules articulated, margins entire to crenate, gland dots present, secondary venation anastamosing

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences axillary (in New Guinea), panicles with up to 10 flowers or flowers solitary

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers bisexual, 5-merous, large; calyx fused for no more than ⅓ of the length, petals lanceolate or linear, imbricate in bud; stamens 10, filaments filiform, sometimes alternately long and short; disk annular or cushion-shaped, sometimes absent; ovary syncarpous, 2–5-locular, ovules 2 per locule, style slender, caducous, stigma capitate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit an ovoid to globose, fleshy berry, exocarp thin, gland-dotted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1–few per fruit, embedded in mucilaginous pulp.

Ecology

In New Guinea, Murraya has been collected up to 800 m and in the wild has been collected from coastal forest, but is widely cultivated.

Recognition

The genus can be recognised by the pale bark, the alternate, imparipinnate leaves with alternate leaflets, the axillary, few-flowered inflorescences, the 5-merous flowers with 10 stamens with filiform filaments and a long, slender style, and the baccate fruit.