Tree up to 15(–30) m, with a broad rounded crown. Bole up to 10 m, up to 100 cm in diam., sometimes with plank buttresses to 3 m high, sometimes with pneumatophores up to 7 m away from the bole and up to 60 cm high. Bark smooth, brown, pinkish-grey or pale orange-brown, sometimes flaking in small brittle or papery scales; inner bark pink, fibrous; sapwood pale yellowish-brown, pink or orange-brown; latex white. Twigs slender, densely covered with pale brown or almost white peltate scales which are darker in the centre and have a paler, sometimes (always in New Guinea) fimbriate, margin. Leaves imparipinnate, up to 45 cm long and 40 cm wide; petiole up to 15 cm, petiole, rachis and petiolules with the surface and a few peltate scales like those on the twigs. Leaflets 5–9, 4–20 by 1.5–6 cm, subcoriaceous, ovate, asymmetrical and curv-ed, acuminate at apex, rounded at the markedly asymmetrical base, the terminal leaflet sometimes reduced in size to c. 4 by 1.5 cm, with a petiolule up to 4 cm long and the lamina folded at the base of the leaflet to form a pocket on the upper surface, lower surface rugulose and faintly pitted, with a few scales on the midrib and veins like those on the twigs and sometimes scattered on the surface in between; veins 8–13 on each side of the midrib, the reticulation visible on both surfaces; petiolules up to 10(–15) mm. Inflorescence up to 30 cm long and 35 cm wide; peduncle up to 8 cm, peduncle, rachis and branches flattened with few to numerous scales like those on the twigs. Flowers up to 3.5 mm long and 3.5 mm wide; pedicel up to 3 mm with numerous scales like those on the twigs. Calyx with few to numerous white stellate scales on the outside. Petals 3, glabrous. Staminal tube slightly shorter than the corolla, the aperture up to 1.5 mm across and shallowly 6-lobed; anthers 6, ellipsoid, protruding slightly through the aper-ture. Infructescence with few fruits; peduncle c. 5 cm. Fruits c. 7 cm long and 6 cm wide, yellow, obovoid; pericarp leathery, thin, brittle and moulded around the seeds when dry, densely covered with reddish-brown peltate scales which have a fimbriate margin. Locules (2 or) 3, each containing 0 or 1 seed. Seeds c. 5 by 3 cm, with a shiny, reddish-brown, yellow or white aril covering about half the seed.
An understorey tree in riverine forests, tidal esturies, mangrove swamps, nipah swamps; at elevations up to 20 metres.
UsesWood used for posts and firewood; the resinous pericarps are sometimes used in the Philippines for illuminating purposes [ Burkill Dict. Econ. Prod. Malay Penins. 1935 137, 138 under Amoora aherniana ]. Wood used for building in Brunei and building boats in Irian Jay a (Merau river).
Home