General Characters

Tree/shrub, height up to 10m(20-30m) and with trunk up to 50 cm in diameter.

Other Characters

Stem differentiated into nodes and internodes, much branched.Common where freshwater influence is strong. Distribution : mainly found in riverine mangroves

Features of Flower

The inflorescence is axillary (leaf scar below the leaf rosette) and 2-flowered. The peduncle is 0.5-1.5 cm long and thick. The bracteoles at the base of flower are cup-shaped. They are fleshy and slightly crenate. The yellow flowers are bi­sexual and sessile. The sepal is deeply 4-lobed, coria­ceous, accrescent and reflexed in fruit. The lobes are ovate, measuring 10-14 mm x 6-8 mm, concave, acute, brown-yel­low to reddish and persistent. The receptacle is with a disk. There are 4 free petals which are lance-shaped, measuring 8-11 mm x 1.5-2 mm, membranous, hairless and early caducous. There are at most 12 stamens which are sessile, with anthers 6-7.5 mm long, acute, multi-loculate and open with a large ventral valve. The ovary is 1.5-3.5 mm long, semi-inferior, and 2-celled where the superior part is en­closed by the disk and bluntly conical. The style is 0.5-1 mm long and 2-lobed.

Features of Fruits

The brown fruit is an ovoid or inversely pear-shaped berry, measures 2-3.5 cm long and rather rough. The hypocotyl is cylindrical to club-shaped, measures up to 40 cm x 1.2 cm, often slightly curved, more or less blunt, smooth and shining. It is green tinged with red.

Leaf Arrangment

The leaves are arranged decussate and rosette-like at the end of twigs. The stipules are 4-8 cm long, lance-shaped, conspicuous and ca­ducous. The reddish petiole is 1.5-3 cm long. The blade is en­tire, elliptical-oblong to sublanceolate, measuring 7-18 cm x 3-8 cm, leathery, green and shiny. The apex is acute to apiculate, with wedge-shaped base, distinct above veins, ob­scure beneath, hairless with minute and scattered black corky warts on the lower surface. It is visible on the older or dried leaves.

Distribution

Mainly found in riverine mangroves are arround the country

Range

tropical Asia, Malesian region and reaches southwards to the Tropic of Capricorn in Queensland, and eastwards as far as New Caledonia and Ponape (Micronesia).

Type of Roots

aerial roots branched stilt roots/prop roots