Helicia attenuata Blume

Shrub (1-)3-5 m, or small tree, rarely up to 20 m; branchlets light brown, glabrous. Leaves oblong or elliptic-oblong, rarely oblanceolate or obovate, gradually narrowed towards the apex, mostly subacute, attenuate and decurrent into the petiole, subacute or obtuse at the very base, rarely subcordate, firmly chartaceous to subcoriaceous, greenish-or yellowish-brownish when dry, entire or remotely denticulate, or repand-serrate in the upper half, 9-25(-30) by 3-8(-11-17) cm; midrib prominent on both faces, nerves 7-9(-10) pairs curved-ascending, distinctly anastomosing before the margin, slightly raised or sometimes somewhat impressed above, prominent beneath, reticulations rather dense, slightly raised on both faces; petiole 2-8(-10) mm, thickened and rugose at the base. Racemes solitary, axillary or ramiflorous, dense-flowered nearly to the base, 12-25(-30) cm; rhachis glabrous or nearly so, terete, (1½-)2-3 mm diam. (blue when fresh as are the pedicels), often greenish when dry. Bracts subulate, minute, up to 1 mm. Pedicels mostly in pairs, connate up to 1/3, rather robust, glabrous or nearly so, 4-5(-6) mm. Perianth whitish or cream or greenish, sometimes rose-tinged, with a rather unpleasant, sweet smell, (18-)22-25(-28) mm, glabrous, tube ½-0.6 mm diam., limb ellipsoid c. 1.5 mm diam. Anthers c. 2½ mm. Disk glands subtruncate, nearly entirely connate in a crenulate ring. Ovary narrow-ovoid, glabrous; style filiform. Fruit broadly ellipsoid or ovoid, ± oblique, shortly apiculate, ± manifestly attenuate at the base or contracted into a short stipe, mostly with 6 ± distinct, obtuse vertical ribs, first bluish-green, finally purplish-black, 3-4(-5) by (2-)2.5-3 cm, pericarp leathery, c. 2 mm; pedicel 4-5 by 2.5 mm.

In primary and secondary rain-forest, mainly in the montane zone 650-1700 m, but descending to the lowland and ascending up to 2650 m; by streams, on hill slopes or mountain ridges, on various soils, rather common. Fl. fr. Jan.-Dec.

Uses. Wood whitish to light brown, locally used in house-building, but not very durable if exposed to all sorts of weathers.

Can be grown by seedlings.