Millingtonia

The Jasmine Tree ( Millingtonia hortensis )

The Jasmine Tree ( also Indian cork tree, Millingtonia hortensis ) is the only species of the genus Millingtonia in the family Bignoniaceae ( Bignoniaceae ). The genus name honors the British botanist Thomas Millington.

Description

The jasmine tree is a 8 to 25 m tall tree. The opposite constantly standing, two to three times fiedrig divided leaves are 40-100 cm long and have a 1 cm long petioles. The leaflets are entire, usually 5-7 ( rarely 2 ) cm long and 1.5 to 4 cm wide. The base is rounded and oblique, the tip is pointed. On each side of the main axis of the leaf segments are four to five lateral veins.

The inflorescences are terminal panicles standing zymöse with a diameter of about 25 cm. Inflorescence stems and flower stalks are provided with a pale yellow pubescence. The high and bracts are shed. The flower stems are slender and about 1 cm long. The swinging lobed calyx is small, cup-shaped, and 2 to 4 mm long and wide. The crown is colored white, their corolla tube is 3-7 cm long, at the base of only 2 to 3 mm wide. In the bud the Kronlappen are circular, ovate - lanceolate to flowering time and 1 to 2 cm in size. Along the edge they are densely hairy on the top. In each case, the top two and the bottom three Kronlappen stand together, so that a double lip crown. The four stamens are in two different sizes near the top of the corolla tube. The dust bags are made from an elliptical, fertile theca, the second theca is stunted to a tailed appendix. In addition to the stamens sterile Staminodium is formed. The egg-shaped ovary is glabrous, stands on a ring - to cup-shaped base of the flower and contains a large number of ovules that are in four rows. The style is long and carries a tongue-shaped, depressed, bilobed scar that protrudes slightly above the crown.

The fruits are linealische, indented, scheidewandspaltig dehiscent capsules of 30 to 35 cm in length and a diameter of 1 to 1.5 cm. The seeds are disc-shaped, elongated and pressed. Including the wing surrounding them, membranous and translucent they have a size of 1.5 to 3.5 × 1 to 1.5 cm.

Occurrence

The species grows on mountain slopes at altitudes from 500 to 1200 meters. The species is widespread in China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. It is often cultivated in India, Indonesia and Malaysia.