Flora of North America species comparison

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Calophyllum inophyllum

Calophyllum

Alexandrian laurel, mastwood

Alexandrian laurel, calophyllum
Habit Trees usually with relatively short trunks and spreading branches, 7–25(–35) m. Leaves: petiole broadened and flattened toward blade, 10–25 mm; blade bright green, elliptic-oblong to obovate, 8–20 × 4.5–12 cm, base cuneate to rounded, finally decurrent, margins ± undulate, apex rounded to retuse, lateral veins prominent on both surfaces. Trees [shrubs], hairy at least on buds, with stilt or loop roots.
Stems

± flattened and angled when young.
Leaves

petiole concave, without adaxial protuberance;

blade coriaceous, venation close, apparently unbranched, parallel, uniting to form marginal or submarginal vein and alternating with and usually more prominent than latex canals, without tertiary venation visible between lateral veins.
Inflorescences

in distal axils, 3–12-flowered.

racemiform;

peduncle and rachis usually present;

bracts usually deciduous, small.
Flowers

2 cm diam.;

sepals reflexed, outer pair orbiculate, 7–8 mm, inner pair obovate, ± petaloid, 10 mm;

petals 4, white, obovate, 9–12 mm;

ovary globose.

bisexual;

sepals deciduous, 4, distinct, in decussate pairs, outer 1–2 pairs rarely much different from rest;

stamens obscurely 4-fascicled;

style slender, ca. 4 times as long as ovary.
Fruits

drupaceous;

pericarp firm or fleshy, smooth when fresh.
Drupes

green, globose to obovoid, 2.5–5 × 2–4 cm;

stone subspheric, smooth.

Seeds

1.
x

= 16.
2n

= 32.

Calophyllum inophyllum

Calophyllum
Phenology Flowering summer.
Habitat Wetlands, especially coastal
Elevation 0–20 m (0–100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; s Asia (India, Sri Lanka); e Africa; Indian Ocean Islands (Madagascar); Pacific Islands [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Asia; Africa; Indian Ocean Islands (Madagascar); Pacific Islands [Introduced, Fla.]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Calophyllum inophyllum occurs in southern Florida; it is widely planted and possibly naturalized. The smaller-flowered C. antillana Jacquin has also been recorded as seminaturalized on the keys.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Calophyllum includes about ten species in the American tropics, the rest in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, and the Pacific.

Species ca. 190 (1 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 65. FNA vol. 6, p. 64.
Parent taxa Calophyllaceae > Calophyllum Calophyllaceae
Subordinate taxa
C. inophyllum
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 513. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 513. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 229. (1754)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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