TOONA

Toona M. Roem., Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 1: 139. 1846; Peng & Edmonds, Fl. China @ eFloras.org 11: 112; worldfloraonline; Cedrela sect. Toona Endlicher, Gen. Pl. 2: 1055. 1840.

Trees to 30 m tall, monoecious, deciduous or semideciduous; bark greyish- brown, fissured, sometimes flaking irregularly. Leaves alternate, paripinnate, occasionally imparipinnate; leaflets usually more than 8 on each side of rachis; leaflet blades glabrous or pubescent with simple trichomes but with club-shaped glands, often associated with veins, margin entire, serrate or dentate, domatia (small deltate axillary pockets) present on proximal lateral veins of abaxial surface, often bordered with simple trichomes. Inflorescences much branched pendent thyrses, often exceeding 1 m. Flowers actinomorphic, unisexual with well-developed vestiges of opposite sex present, rarely bisexual, 5-merous, hypogynous, small. Calyx 5(or 6)-lobed or 5 or 6 free sepals; sepals imbricate or cupulate in bud, margin always ciliate. Petals 5 or 6, white, pink or cream-coloured, free, longer than calyx in bud, imbricate, basally adnate by a median carina to a short pulvinate (cushion-shaped) androgynophore (disc). Stamens 5 (or 6), free, arising from androgynophore, sometimes alternating with 1-5 filamentous staminodes; antherodes in female flowers often sagittate, brown with abortive pollens. In female flowers, ovary 5- locular with 6-10 ovules per locule; style short; stigma discoid, usually 5-rayed, with glandular stigmatic papillae; in male flowers, pistillodes long and slender. Fruit a capsule, ellipsoid or obovoid, pendulous, thinly woody, septifragal, valves 5, brown, smooth to verrucose, opening from apex, columella softly woody, 5-angled extending to capsule apex. Seeds many per locule, winged, either at both ends (when attached towards distal end of columella) or at one end (when attached by seed end to proximal part of columella); wings membranous, endosperm residual.

6 species

Toona ciliata

Toona ciliata M. Roem., Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 1: 139. 1846; Peng & Edmonds, Fl. China @ eFloras.org 11: 112; Cedrella toona Roxb. ex Rottler, Neue Schriften Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin 4: 198. 1803; C. serrulata Miq., Fl. Ned. Ind., Erste Bijv. 3: 508. 1861; Swietenia toona (Roxb. ex Rottler) Stokes, Bot. Mat. Med. 2: 480. 1812.

Deciduous, medium-sized tree, up to 25 m tall, with no buttresses. Bark greyish white to reddish-brown, rough, usually fissured, exfoliating in large flakes. Twigs pilose to glabrescent, lenticels small. Leaves alternate, rachis 10-40 cm long with 5- 12 cm long petiole; paripinnate, occasionally imparipinnate, with 9-24 leaflets; leaflets alternate to opposite; petiolules 5-18 mm long, glabrescent; leaflet blades lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 2.5-12 cm x 1.2-5 cm, adaxially glabrous, pubescent abaxially, especially on veins, occasionally moderately pilose, base usually asymmetric, margin entire, apex acute to acuminate, domatia (small deltate axillary pockets) present on proximal lateral veins, (occasionally up to middle or above ) of abaxial surface bordered with simple trichomes. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, much branched, pendent thyrses, shorter than leaves, 30-50 cm long; peduncle ca. 2 cm long, rachis pubescent to pilose with spreading or appressed trichomes. Flowers cream-coloured, 3.5-6 mm long, and ca. 6 mm across, sweetly scented, actinomorphic, bisexual (described as unisexual with well-developed vestiges of opposite sex in Flora of China @ eFloras.org, Hua & Edmonds), 5-merous, hypogynous; pedicels 2-3 mm long. Calyx cupulate, ca. 4 mm long, lobes 5, ovate, near equal to calyx tube, tomentose, margin ciliate. Petals 5, white to cream-coloured, 3.5-6 mm x 1.3-3 mm, oblong, erect, imbricate, margin ciliate, apex subacute; petals basally adnate by a median carina to a short pulvinate, pilose, orange-coloured disk (also described as Androgynophore). Stamens 5, free, arising from top margin of disc; filaments 2-2.5 mm long, subulate; anthers oblong, ca. 1 mm long, versatile; staminodes absent. Ovary superior arising from top centre of disc, ovoid, ca. 2 mm long, pubescent, 5-locular, ovules many, 8-12 per loculus, pendulous; style ca. 2 mm long, thick and slender; stigma discoid. Fruit a capsule, 1.8-3 cm x 1.5 cm, obovate or clavate, pendulous, thinly woody, septifragal, valves 5 or 4, brown, smooth to verrucose, opening from apex, columella softly woody, 5- or 4-angled, extending to capsule apex. Seeds many per locule, oblong, ca. 4 mm x 2.5 mm, winged, at one or both ends, wings membranous, brown.

Flowering and Fruiting: March to June (Fruits persist on the trees for very long almost till January)
Common Names: Toon Tree, Indian Mahogany, Red Cedar, Australian Red Cedar, Burma Cedar, Indian Cedar, Moulmein Cedar, Queensland Red Cedar, Surian; Toon (Hindi)