Lasjia erecta

Lasjia erecta is a species of forest tree in the protea family that is endemic to the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its closest relative is Lasjia hildebrandii, also a Sulawesi endemic.

History

The tree was first described in 1995 as a species of Macadamia, but was transferred in 2008, in a paper in the American Journal of Botany by Peter Weston and Austin Mast, to the new genus Lasjia.

Description

The species grows to about height, with a straight trunk up to in diameter. The leaves are consistently 4-whorled, long by wide. The creamy-green flowers appear in erect terminal inflorescences. The round fruits are in diameter.

Distribution and habitat

The species has been recorded from the province of Southeast Sulawesi, including the adjacent island of Kabaena, as well as from Lore Lindu National Park in Central Sulawesi. It grows on ultramafic soils at altitudes of.