identification of mystery tree

[Alexander Krings]

I had been on vacation a few days and in the meantime received a number of replies regarding the identity of our mystery plant.  Thank you to everyone who provided their thoughts!  It turns out to be Ungnadia speciosa Endl. (Sapindaceae).

--Alexander


>Dear All,
>
>I write to ask for potential help with the identification of a
>specimen we recently received.  The plant was collected from a yard in
>Wake Co., North Carolina, and does not seem to match anything in our
>native flora (or are we overlooking something?).  The grower indicated
>that it volunteered and is currently about 5 feet tall.
>
>Description: stems greenish, the pith solid, white, hard; buds
>extra-axillary; leaves imparipinnate, of 7-9 essentially sessile
>leaflets, margins dull-serrate to bi-serrate, apices acute to
>acuminate, the extreme tip rounded, rachis grooved to ribbed.
>
>Images can be found here:
>
>http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/herbarium/images/unknown1.jpg
>
>http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/herbarium/images/unknown2.jpg
>
>
>No fragrance could be detected from crushed leaves, rubbed rachis, or
>cut stems.
>
>I had initially thought something in Sapindales, but could not find a
>match in our collections.
>
>Thank you in advance for any help anyone could provide.
>
>Best regards,
>
>Alexander

____________________________
Alexander Krings
Curator
Herbarium (NCSC), Department of Botany
Campus Box 7612
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7612

alexander_krings at ncsu.edu
919.515.2700
919.515.3436 (fax)