Barringtonia macrocarpa (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction

Protologue: Flora 25, 2 (Beibl.): 36 (1842).

Synonyms

From Indo-China, southern Thailand, southern Burma (Myanmar) to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and Borneo.

In Java and Borneo, the pounded roots or root bark are used as a fish poison. In Java, the young shoots are eaten raw as a salad.

A shrub or small tree, 1.5-6(-13) m tall, trunk 5-16 cm in diameter, twigs (5-)7-15 mm in diameter.
Leaves obovate-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 30-60(-70) cm × 6-18 cm, base narrowly cuneate, apex cuspidate or obtuse, serrate-crenulate, glabrous, petiole 0.5-1(-2) cm long.
Raceme terminal, pendulous, (26-)40-75(-112) cm long, up to 135-flowered.
Flowers not scented, pedicel 0.5-1.5 cm long, opening buds 0.5-0.7 cm long, calyx tube about 0.5-2 mm long, not accrescent, sepals 3-4, free, accrescent, purple or pink, petals 3-4, elliptical, convex, 2-3 cm × 1-1.5 cm, white, or pale pink, stamens in 3-4 whorls, 3-4 cm long, pink, ovary 3-4-celled, style 3.5-4.2 cm long.
Berry (immature) obovate to oblong, 6.5 cm × 2.5 cm, 3-4-gonous to 3-4-winged, pericarp about 2.5 mm thick, exocarp thin, mesocarp about 1 mm thick, fibrous, endocarp about 1 mm thick, fibrous.
Seed ovoid, 3.5 cm × 0.75 cm, fissured.

B. macrocarpa occurs along rivers, in swampy forest and periodically inundated areas from sea-level up to 300 m altitude.

[164] Chantaranothai, P., 1995. Barringtonia (Lecythidiaceae) in Thailand. Kew Bulletin 50(4): 677—694.
[407] Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
[747] Ochse, J.J. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1980. Vegetables of the Dutch East Indies. 3rd English edition (translation of "Indische groenten"", 1931). Asher & Co., Amsterdam, the Netherlands. 1016 pp.