Gluta aptera (King) Ding Hou

Tree up to 40 m high and 60 cm ø. Buttresses occasionally present, up to 1½ m high, ⅓ m wide, 7½ cm thick. Bark brown, rather smooth. Leaves coriaceous, obovate to obovate-oblong, or elliptic, 4-29(-37½) by 2½-10½(-15½) cm; usually glabrous, sometimes the young ones pubescent beneath especially on the midrib, nerves and veins, and also on the midrib above, glabrescent; base cuneate, rarely attenuate; apex rounded, emarginate, sometimes acute; nerves 12-23 pairs, prominent beneath, distinct or faint above; veins reticulate, or transverse and parallel, slightly elevated beneath, faint above; petiole (½-) 1½-2½ cm. Panicles up to 32 cm long, pubescent especially when young, glabrescent, sometimes glabrous; pedicels 10-22½ rnm, not articulated. Flower-buds ovoid to ovoid-oblong, or ellipsoid, 7-15 by 5 mm, obtuse or acute. Calyx 7-15 mm long, circumscissile, usually with a tuft of hairs at the apex, sometimes puberulous outside when young, glabrescent except the apical part. Petals white, then changing to red from base upwards (cf. ANDERSON S 12433), imbricate or contorted, oblanceolate, 11-16 by 3½-5 mm, puberulous outside, sparsely hairy and slightly papillose near the base inside, sometimes glabrescent. Stamens c. 100, 8-11 mm; filaments white, changing to bright blue (cf. ANDERSON 12433), hairy; anthers oblong, ⅔-l mm. Torus broadly ovoid, 1½-
 ø. Ovary broadly ellipsoid, obovoid, or obliquely subglobose, l-½ mm ø, glabrous; stipe ½-2 mm; style subterminal, 2½-5 mm. Drupe on a centric stalk (c. ½ cm), globose or subglobose, 2½-31l2 cm ø, brown, smooth; usually without enlarged petals; embryo subglobose, 1¾-23l4 cm ø,; cotyledons free.

Lowland and hill forests, often on ridges, at elevations up to 1,200 metres. Dryland and peat-swamp forests, secondary growths, sometimes on sandstone, at elevations up to 650 metres, rarely up to 1,200 metres.

Can be grown by seedlings.