Hodgsonia macrocarpa
Description
Habit as for the genus.
Leaves:
Stamens inserted at about the middle of the receptacle-tube, i.e. where widening, filaments (5-)7 mm long;
Fruit ripening greyish green, 12-18 cm diam., densely grey or brown hairy, glabrescent, sometimes with large, scattered, dark-coloured wart-like lenticels, not grooved;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present); Sumatera (Sumatera present), Peninsular Thailand present, South Myanmar present, West Java present
Peninsular Thailand and South Myanmar; in Malesia: Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, and West Java.
Morphology
The species is easily recognisable by its characteristic thorn-like probracts, present also in sterile shoots on each node.
Uses
The roasted fatty seeds are edible; Whitmore KEP FRI 576 reported: “cotyledons edible after seed roasted and bitter skin removed”. The empty stone-seeds (pyrenes) can be found on the forest floor, gnawed open by rodents. The ashes of burnt leaves are used in healing wounds.
Citation
Ser. 1828 – In: DC., Prod. 3: 315
Hassk. 1848: Pl. Jav. Rar.: 192
Backer 1964 – In: Backer & Bakh.f., Fl. Java 1: 305
M.Roem. 1846 – In: Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr.: 95
W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes 2001: p. 174. – In: Blumea: f. 2a: 3-4
Miq. 1856 – In: Fl. Ned. Ind.: 678
Ridl. 1922 – In: Fl. Malay Penin.: 843
Lewkowitsch 1914 – In: Chem. Techn. Anal. Oils: 515