Madhuca rupicola (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Madhuca rupicola (King & Gamble) H.J.Lam

Protologue: Sapotaceae

Synonyms

Bassia rupicola King & Gamble.

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: nyatoh
• Thailand: puduwa.

Distribution

Malaysia (Peninsular, Sarawak), Thailand.

Uses

The white latex produces a sticky and inferior quality gutta-percha. The fruits are said to be edible.

Observations

Tree, up to 18 m tall. Leaves scattered; petiole up to 2.5 cm long; blade elliptical to obovate-oblong, 10-20 cm × 3-8 cm, cuneate at base, obtusely acuminate at apex, secondary veins 8-12 pairs. Inflorescence an axillary cluster of 3-5 cream-coloured flowers; calyx of 2 pairs of sepals, up to 0.5 cm long; corolla tubular and 8-lobed, up to 7 mm long, lobes 4 mm long, tube woolly between the stamens; stamens 16, in 2 whorls, 3 mm long. Fruit unknown. M. rupicola grows in evergreen forest, up to 500 m altitude; in Peninsular Malaysia flowering is in March, in Thailand in July.

Selected sources

11, 43.