The potential of Merope angulata (Willd.) swingle, a wild relative of the citrus found in the Malaysian mangroves

Abstract

The monotypic genus Merope contains the species M. angulata (Willd.) Swingle, which was first collected and described by G.E. Rumphius in the East Indies (Amboyna); the name he gave was Limonellus angulosus. Other citations followed this. However, it was Swingle, 1915, that gave it the new combination. To date, the total number of collections recorded in Herbaria in this region (Thailand and Malesia) is about 50, making it relatively unknown. This salt-tolerant Citrus relative is found in small populations in mangrove swamp forests and in related brackish water habitats (sometimes associated with Nipa). Its known distribution ranges from PN Guinea, Indonesia including Irian Jaya, Borneo, Malaysia, Thailand and Cochin China, westwards to Burma and the Sunderbuns.