Tree, 15-40 m, trunk straight, slender, terete, 30-60(-150) cm Ø, expanded at base, buttresses generally not distinct, rarely up to 150 by 50 cm; crown high, dense, with numerous small branches; bark grey or greenish to brownish, sometimes with brightly coloured patches, rather smooth, finely, shallowly and rather irregularly fissured lengthwise. Branchlets striate-angular when dry. Leaves elliptic to subobovate-, rarely almost oblong-elliptic, shortly rather abruptly sub-acutely acuminate, base cuneate to rounded, slightly inequilateral, coriaceous, glabrous, minutely papillose beneath, drying dark brown, edge slightly revolute, 5-9(-13) by 3-4(-5) cm, midrib narrowly sunken above, strongly raised beneath, nerves 8-10 pairs, straight and parallel to each other, rather indistinct; petiole 8-13 (-20) mm. Inflorescence 1-3.5 cm; flowers crowded at the end of short dichotomous branches, these 2 or 3 on top of a 1-2(-3) cm long peduncle which is covered all over with short obtuse thickish bracts (each forming an alveole), sessile, small, greenish to white or yellowish, pale puberulent except the petals. Calyx c. 1 mm. Petals oblong, green, 4-5 by 2 mm, fragrant to almost fetid and of a bitter taste. Stamens c. 4 mm, finally a little exserted, caducous as are the petals; filaments 3-4 mm, glabrous below, upper part penicillate by sub-clavate white hairs; anther cells c. 1 mm. Ovary glabrous, 2 mm. Fruit fusiform, more attenuate distally, first green, later brown to blackish, c. 3.5 by (0.6-)0.8-1 cm; exocarp thin, pulpy, of an acid and adstringent taste; endocarp fibrous-corky, c. 1 mm, finally splitting from below on one side up to the middle, extending as a thick pad for the whole length inside. Seed 1, oblong, c. 2.5 cm.
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A tree. It can be up to 40 m tall. The trunk is slender. It is about 60 cm across. It can have buttresses 1.5 m tall. The bark has shallow cracks along it. The leaves are simple and in spirals. The edges are slightly curved inwards. The flowers are in the axils of leaves in small clusters without a stalk. The fruit has 1 seed and a thin pulpy layer. It is brown to black when ripe and splits along one side.
A canopy tree in primary forest. Lowland forest, often under swampy conditions. Drier parts of primary freshwater swamp forest, or drier hill forest, at elevations up to 300 metres, apparently local and scattered, on marshy or sandy soil.
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Drier parts of primary freshwater swamp forest, or drier hill forest, from sea-level to c. 300 m, apparently local and scattered, on marshy or sandy soil. Fl fr. Jan.-Dec.
It is a tropical plant. It grows on marshy or sandy soil in lowland rainforest.
Uses. Timber highly valued, much sought and marketed, heavy and hard, brownish-yellow, close grained, fragrant and therefore used as a substitute for sandal wood, very durable in the ground. Used for house and ship building, heavy constructions, likely to shrink and warp and suitable for furniture or turnery only if fully seasoned. The fruit can be eaten, but is said to be of a rather poor quality. Fig. 22Fig. 23.
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The fruit can be eaten but are not attractive.
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