Planchonia grandis
Content
Description
Trees, up to 31 m high, up to 1 m diam.
Bark brown, vertically grooved.
Branchlets dark brown, smooth to striate, c. 4 mm thick, leaf-scars distinct, leaf-traces sometimes visible.
Leaves:
Inflorescences spikes, many-flowered, up to 8 cm long;
Petals obovate, tapering towards the base, up to 3 by 1.5 cm, papyraceous, greenish white.
Stamens numerous, tube c. 5 mm long, red, free part c. 30 mm long, white;
Fruits fleshy, globose, c. 4 cm diam., astringent, bitter, green, white inside, smell of turpentine.
Seeds 3 or more, obliquely ovoid, longitudinally compressed, not angular, c. 1.5 cm long;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Malaya (Singapore present); Sumatera (Sumatera present)
Malesia: Sumatra, Singapore, Borneo.
Uses
Phytochemical studies by Crublet et al. () show that leaves of P. grandis contain three acylated flavonol glycosides. They have potential medicinal application.
Notes
The species is characterised by its terminal spikes and especially by its coriaceous leaves with obscure secondary nerves and reticulation. Although Knuth (1939) gives the inflorescence length as up to 15 cm, in the material at hand, the longest spike was only 8 cm, with the flowers only less than 1 cm, whereas the tube in the material conserved in alcohol is smooth.
Citation
Ridl. 1922 – In: Fl. Malay Penins.: 760
Pinard 2002 – In: Soepadmo et al., Tree Fl. Sabah & Sarawak 4: 127
Burkill 1935 – In: Dict. Econ. Prod. Malay Penins.: 1766
Whitmore 1973 – In: Tree Fl. Malaya: 264
Prance 2012 – In: Kiew et al., Fl. Penins. Malaysia 3: 214
R.Knuth 1939 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 219: 53
Kuswata 1965: p. 185. – In: Bull. Bot. Surv. India: f. 11, 12