Horsfieldia macrothyrsa (PROSEA)
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Introduction |
Horsfieldia macrothyrsa (Miq.) Warb.
- Family: Myristicaceae
Synonyms
Myristica macrothyrsa Miq.
Vernacular names
- Indonesia: pala rimbo (Malay).
Distribution
Indonesia (Sumatra), occasionally also cultivated elsewhere.
Uses
The seed has a high fat content but no use is known. The wood is a source of timber (trade name "penarahan" as for most timbers of Myristicaceae ) and firewood.
Observations
A tree, 4-15 m tall with finely striate, non-flaking bark and wood white-yellow with red veins. Leaves alternate but arranged in two vertical rows, membranous; petiole 1-2 cm long; blade oblong to elliptical, 12-28 cm × 4-12 cm, base attenuate, apex acuminate; veins 9-17 pairs. Inflorescence paniculate, unisexual; male ones about 3 times branched, 7-20 cm long on peduncle up to 5 cm long, flowers in loose clusters of 2-4; female ones about twice branched, 3-6 cm long, flowers 1-3 together; bracts elliptical-oblong, 2-4 mm long, caducous; perianth 3-4-lobed, 3-4 mm long; male flowers on slender pedicel 1-2 mm long, greenish to yellow, aromatic, androecium subglobose or depressed obovoid, 2 mm long, thecae 30-44, completely sessile, free apices up to 0.1 mm long; female flowers never described. Infructescence a cluster of 2-6 fruits; fruit a 1-seeded follicle, ellipsoid, 2-4 cm × 1.5-2 cm, glabrous, greenish-yellow, pericarp 1.5-3 mm thick, light yellow inside. Seed pale yellow with green aril. H. macrothyrsa can be found in lower and mid-montane forests, also riverine forest, mixed forest and swamp forest, at 400-1600 m altitude. H. macrothyrsa is closely related to H. glabra (Blume) Warb. but the former has bigger male flowers and about twice as many anthers. Moreover H. glabra does not occur in Sumatra. H. macrothyrsa flowers and fruits throughout the year. Seed obtained from a cultivated plant in Bogor contained 45% fat which melted at 49°C.
Selected sources
42, 56, 136.
