Itoa
Itoa is a genus of flowering plants in the family Salicaceae. It is also in the tribe Saliceae.
Its native range is southern China to Vietnam, central and eastern Malesia to New Guinea. It is found in China, Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Sulawesi and Vietnam.
Itoa orientalis is grown as an ornamental tree in Australia, Cornwall, UK, and Ireland. Itoa stapfii is found in Papua New Guinea.
Description
An evergreen tree with broad leaves, that are alternate, sometimes sub-opposite placed. The leaf blade is pinnate-veined with lateral veins closely set, mostly 1-2 cm apart.The yellow buff flowers, are unisexual, hypogynous, The staminate flowers are in erect, terminal panicles. The pistillate flowers has 1 to few in short terminal or axillary racemes. It has bracts and the bracteoles are a pair per pedicel, usually caducous. The sepals appearing 3 or 4-merous in bud, in fact to 5-merous at anthesis, nearly free, valvate, ovate shaped, with base appearing to be cordate. The staminate flowers have many stamens with filaments free and filiform. The anthers are ellipsoid to oblong in shape, basifixed, connective usually curved, bringing both locules to face in same direction. The pistillate flowers have ovary superior, 1-loculed; placentas are 6-8, rarely 5, filiform and have a woody-like end. The ovules are numerous with 6-8 styles, which are very short, connate, forming a short longitudinally ribbed column. The stigmatic branches 6-8 are spreading or strongly reflexed against the ovary and irregularly palmately lobed. The many staminodes are extragynoecial, like the stamens but very much reduced. The seed capsule is ovoid or ellipsoid in shape, large, woody, tomentose, outer layer probably finally dehiscent. The valves 6-8, are fusiform, splitting from apex and base and remaining attached by woody persistent placental strips. The styles are caducous. It has many seeds, which are arranged vertically in the capsule, they are winged with a broad wing, which is flat, thin, triangular, squarish or rectangular, completely surrounding seed.