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<big>''[[Bischofia javanica]]'' Blume</big>

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Bischofia javanica'' (PROTA)}}

:Protologue: Bijdr. fl. Ned. Ind. 17: 1168 (1827).

:Chromosome number: 2''n'' = 98

== Vernacular names ==

The bark contains about 16% tannin. ''Bischofia javanica'' has been shown to have anti-ulcer, anthelmintic and antidysenteric activities. The seed contains about 20% oil with an approximate fatty acid composition of: linolenic acid 51%, linoleic acid 12%, oleic acid 23% and saturated acids 14%.

Evergreen or deciduous, dioecious, medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 35(–50) m tall; bole straight or poorly shaped, branchless part usually short but sometimes up to 20 m long, up to 80(–170) cm in diameter, sometimes with steep buttresses up to 3 m high; bark surface fissured and scaly with small thick shaggy scales, reddish brown to purplish brown, inner bark fibrous, spongy, pink, exuding a red sap; crown dense and rounded. Leaves arranged spirally, compound with 3 leaflets, glabrous; stipules oblong-triangular, 7–22 mm long, papery, falling early; petiole 8–20 cm long; petiolules long and slender, longest in terminal leaflet; leaflets elliptical to ovate, 6–16 cm × 3–10 cm, base rounded to broadly cuneate, apex acuminate, margin finely toothed, pinnately veined. Inflorescence an axillary panicle up to 27 cm long. Flowers unisexual, regular, 5-merous, small, greenish, corolla and disk absent; male flowers with sepals fused at base, hooded, stamens free, opposite to the calyx lobes, ovary rudimentary; female flowers with sepals falling early, stamens strongly rudimentary, ovary superior, globose, 3(–4)-celled, style short, with 3 long stigmas. Fruit a globose drupe 1–1.5 cm in diameter, bluish black, with a horny to leathery skin and fleshy pulp, 3–6-seeded. Seeds oblong to obovoid, c. 5 mm long, brown. Seedling with epigeal germination; cotyledons leafy, petiolate; first few leaves simple, subsequent ones with 1 leaflet, and from about the 10^{<font size="1">th</font>} leaf with 3 leaflets.

The seedlings show fast root growth. The taproot is tuberous for a short length and then tapers quickly. Thin but long secondary roots are present below the collar region. Growth is comparatively slow during the first 3 years, becoming fairly rapid in subsequent years. In India, 7-months-old seedlings attained a height of 50–80 cm. Under normal conditions, an average annual diameter increment of 1.0 cm and an average annual height increment of 1 m can be obtained. Exceptions have been reported, e.g. a diameter at breast height of 41 cm for 18-year-old trees and a height of 7.5 m for 3-year-old trees and of 10 m for 6-year-old trees. The tree flowers every year from an age of about 8 years onward.

''Bischofia'' comprises 2 species, one of which only occurs in China.

== Ecology ==

''Bischofia javanica'' prefers areas with a humid climate with a more or less distinct dry season. Its altitudinal range is from sea-level to 1800 m. In its natural area of distribution it is fairly common, but usually found scattered in primary and old secondary forest, from dry and deciduous to evergreen forest. It is most frequent on river banks, shady ravines and prefers deep, loose soils with sufficient water content. In Kenya it has become naturalized locally as an understorey tree in evergreen forest at 1500–1800 m altitude.

== Management ==

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