Suriana maritima L.

Shrub, 0.5–1.8 m. high, much-branched and spreading, sometimes (apparently not in our area) a small tree to 8 m. high; stems grey-green, tomentellous and with glandular hairs when young, becoming sparsely hairy when older, with conspicuous leaf-scars.. Leaves thick, upright, oblanceolate, 1–4.5 cm. long, 0.2–0.6 cm. wide, base cuneate or attenuate, margins entire and revolute, apex rounded to acute, sparsely pubescent on both surfaces, with some glandular hairs; venation ± invisible; petiole 1–3 mm. long.. Inflorescence hardly longer than the leaves, 1–6(–11)-flowered, with glandular tomentellous axes 1–4 cm. long; bracts similar to the leaves, up to 10 mm. long; pedicel 3–8 mm.. Calyx 7–10 mm. high, glandular-pubescent, the lobes lanceolate, 6–10 mm. long, 2–3.5 mm. wide, acuminate.. Petals bright or lemon yellow, obovate, 5.5–9 mm. long, 4–5 mm. wide, base clawed for 1 mm., apex rounded, falling easily.. Stamens 4–4.5 mm. long, the shorter ones 2.5–3.5 long; anthers 0.8 mm. high.. Ovary densely pilose; styles 3–4 mm. long, glabrous, caducous before the fruit develops fully.. Fruit of 5 carpels, fruiting calyx green turning yellow; carpels blackish, ellipsoid to slightly obovoid with some faces compressed by packing, 3–4 mm. high, 3–3.5 mm. in diameter, pubescent.. Fig. 1.

A coastal shrub of the Barringtonia formation, usually rare, but locally often very common and forming thickets along the sandy beach and along coral coasts, often associated with Messerschmidia, Scaevola, Guettarda, etc., from sea-level up to 10 m. Fl. fr. Jan.-Dec.In SE. Polynesia F. B. H. BROWN found that the dense branching causes it to act occasionally as a sand binder initiating the formation of small dunes. In Bikini especially common on the windward side of the islet. In the Tuamotus one of the most common littoral woody plants.It is remarkable that almost all localities are situated in the small islands or islets in the Malaysian Pacific area, except some in East New Guinea. No specimen is known from the Australian and Asiatic continents proper, though BENNETT ( BENNETT Fl. Br. Ind. 1 1875 522 ) recorded it from the 'shores of the western Peninsula', i.e. the Deccan. Among shore plants it shares this peculiarity with Pisonia grandis for which it has been accepted that these localities coincide with bird colonies, and consequently guano accumulation leading to calcium phosphate coral rock; Pisonia would then also be dispersed by these sea birds. It is, however, unlikely that the fruits of Suriana are dispersed in this way.Mr L. S. SMITH (in litt.) suggested that Suriana and other rare littoral plants avoiding continental shores (Messerschmidia argentea, Soulamea amara) might prefer highly calcareous beaches which, of course, are much more prevalent on islands than on the mainland where rivers silt the coral by outflow of freshwater and sediments.RIDLEY ( RIDLEY Disp. 1930 264 ) dwelt at length on the peculiar distribution pattern and I agree that GUPPY'S assumption ( GUPPY Plants, Seeds, etc. 1917 240 ) that it would have been destroyed in spots as firewood by wandering islanders is unlikely.SCHIMPER and GUPPY ( GUPPY Observ. Natur. Pac. 2 1906 529 ) have established that the buoyancy power of the nuts is very great, up to at least 5 months; the floating; power being due to an unfilled space in its cavity.It is therefore certain that they are dispersed by sea-water, but 'they could also be carried in floating logs and pumice'; attachment in mud to birds feet is possible though unlikely as its habitat is too sandy.In the herbaria Suriana is sometimes confused with Pemphis acidula FORST. (Lythraceae) which can immediately be distinguished by a lengthwise sulcate, campanulate calyx tube and 6-merous flowers.

Can be grown by seedlings.