Crudia papuana Kosterm.

Tree 12-24 m high and 35-50 cm in diam.; buttresses thick, steep, to c. 1 m high. Stipules minute, caducous. Leaves usually with 2 opposite leaflets, or sometimes 1-foliolate, petiole 4-11 mm, glabrous, glossy, ending in a subulate tip (c. 4 mm long). Leaflets subcoriaceous, elliptic, oblong, or slightly obovate-oblong, 6-21.5 by 2-7.5 cm, apex bluntly acute to acuminate, base rounded or obtuse; rather shining and glabrous on both surfaces; nerves 5-9 or more per side; petiolules rather thick, 4-12 mm, transver-sally wrinkled. Inflorescences in upper axils or terminal on lateral shoots, up to c. 15 cm long, moderately flowered, often with many fasciculate, linear bud scales or bracts at the base, the rachis glabrous, sometimes sparsely puberulous; bracts and bracteoles minute, triangular, 0.5-1.5 mm long; pedicels short, 2-3 mm, glabrous. Flowers cream white or very pale green, scented. Hypanthium obscure. Calyx lobes ovate, c. 4 by 2 mm, glabrous. Stamens 10, c. 5 mm, glabrous. Pistil distinctly stipitate; ovary c. 2.5 mm long, 2-ovuled; style c. 2.5 mm, glabrous; stigma obscure. Pods brownish black when ripe, often obliquely elliptic or elliptic-oblong, 9-11 by 4-7 cm, compressed, apex acute or shortly acuminate, base rounded or obtuse, or sometimes slightly cuneate, laxly prominulously reticulate, densely ferruginous velvety tomentose and pubescent, the stipe short, c. 3 mm, valves leathery, 1-(or 2-)seeded. Seeds slightly reni-form, 3-5 by 5-7.5 cm, flat, reddish brown.

Grows in or close to water on the banks of freshwater creeks and rivers.