Sterculia megistophylla (PROSEA)
 |
Introduction |
Sterculia megistophylla Ridley
- Protologue: Journ. Fed. Mal. St. Mus. 8: 21 (1917).
Synonyms
Sterculia hosei Merr. (1922).
Vernacular names
- Indonesia: kalumpang (Palembang, Sumatra)
- Malaysia: buah ayan antu sebayan, biris merah (Sarawak).
Distribution
Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo (Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah).
Uses
The wood is reputed to be used.
Observations
A medium-sized tree up to 20 m tall, with bole up to 40 cm in diameter, buttresses absent or low and rounded, bark surface smooth, orange-brown, inner bark dark brown, twigs rather stout, c. 10 mm in diameter; leaves simple and entire, elliptical to oblong-elliptical or obovate to oblong-obovate, (22-)25-36(-54) cm × (5.5-)8-18 cm, subcordate to rounded, rarely acute at base, densely stellate hairy below, petiole (2-)4-14 cm long, stipules lanceolate, caducous or subpersistent; inflorescence cauliflorous, racemose to paniculate, pendulous; calyx with obconical or rarely campanulate tube glabrous inside and 5 lanceolate or ligulate, usually spreading lobes longer than the tube, male flowers with 8-10 anthers; follicles on stout woody peduncle on the upper part of the bole, oblong and very large, 15-22 cm long, brilliant vermillion or dark orange; seed ellipsoid, c. 2.5 cm long, dark greenish or brown. S. megistophylla occurs in primary forest up to 1500 m altitude. In Sarawak, it grows scattered in mixed dipterocarp forest on deep and moist clayey soils and deep yellow podzolic soils, and more frequently in kerangas on podzols where it is only a small tree. The wood is pinkish-brown.
Selected sources
26, 632.
