Lepisanthes amoena (Hassk.) Leenh.

Tree, up to 10 m high, dbh up to 15 cm, or shrub up to 6 m. Twigs 0.8-1 (-1.2) cm in diam., brown, when young sparsely, rarely rather densely, shortly fulvous hairy, mostly early glabrescent. Leaves imparipinnate, 7-42-jugate, up to 90 cm long, usually glabrous to thin-tomentose on axial parts, sometimes axial parts densely fulvous-tomentose, rarely moreover hirsute, glabrescent; flush from white over pink to salmon or coral-red; petiole terete to flattened above, 1-9 cm long; pseudo-stipules orbicular, ovate, or transversely elliptic, usually oblique, 1-6 by 0.8-6 cm, base truncate to deeply cordate, apex rounded, obtuse, acute, or shortly and broadly acuminate, some very oblique pseudo-stipules with a second more lateral apex, penni-or retinerved; pseudo-stipules usually connected with the normal leaflets by a series of inter-grades. Leaflets opposite to alternate, (sub)sessile, linear or sometimes ovate-lanceolate, 7-22.5 by 1.2-5 cm, index 3.5-7, thin-chartaceous orperga-mentaceous, greenish grey to dark brown above, yellowish-to red-brown beneath, glabrous to the midrib densely fulvous-to ferrugineous-tomentose above, sparsely hirsute beneath, rarely thinly hairy all over the lower surface, often on both surfaces or only above with scattered, minute, glandular-pitted warts; base oblique or not, obtuse to subcordate; apex obtuse to tapering acuminate, acumen short to long, obtuse to acute; nerves 0.5-2 cm apart, angle to midrib 65-85°, curved, only the upper ones looped and joined at some distance from the margin. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, pyramidal, up to 60 cm long, sparsely to densely short fulvous-hairy, the axial parts in vivo often reddish, rachis and main branches sharply 3-angu-lar; branches nearly transverse to ascending, up to 30 cm long, the lower ones often with some short, spreading branches; cymes short-stalked to sessile, several-to 1-flowered; pedicels 2-4 mm. Flowers mostly reported to be white, sometimes creamy to yellow or pink to red, not scented. Sepals red, outside thinly appressed short-hairy to glabrous, inside glabrous to sparsely appressed short-hairy in the basal half, usually sparsely partly glandular ciliolate mainly towards the base, outer two ovate to oblong, 1.5-3.5 by 1.2-2 mm, inner 3 ± orbicular, 2.5-4 by 2-3.5 mm. Petals white or red, usually up to ⅔ mm clawed, outside very sparsely to densely appressed long-hairy, inside variably hairy, claw and at least base of blade densely to very sparsely ciliate, blade subdeltoid to suborbicular, up to 1.5 by 1.2 mm, at base with 2 incurved, ± connected lobes. Disc glabrous, orange or yellow. Stamens 7-9; filaments white or reddish; anthers 1.5-1.8 mm, densely hairy, yellowish. Ovary 3-celled, densely velvety to nearly glabrous, cream to reddish; style 1.5 mm. Fruits slightly 3-lobed, widest in or above the middle, 2-2.5 by 2.2-2.8 cm (fresh 2.5 by 3 cm), apiculate by the style base, (sometimes hardly) scurfy, thinly short-hairy to glabrous, in vivo light green, spotted brown when unripe, to brownish or purple when ripe, pulp yellowish to white. Seeds oblique-ellipsoid, hilum orbicular to lanceolate, small.

Primary (or secondary) forests, scrub, or bamboo forests, often along rivers, in swamp forests, or even in periodically inundated localities, but also on dry land, at elevations up to 400 metres, exceptionally to 1,650 metres.

Uses In Java sometimes planted as an ornamental tree. The bark as well as the young leaves contain saponin and are applied against ulcers (Borneo) or an extract of the bark is used against hoarseness. The wood is reported to be very hard and was used for making hooks to catch crocodiles. The fruitpulp is sweet and edible. See Heyne Nutt. Pl. Indon. ed. 3 1950 990 Burkill Dict. Econ. Prod. Malay Penins. 1935 1613 Jansen et al. Verheij & Coronel (eds.) Pl. Res. SE Asia (PROSEA Handb.) 2, Edible fruits and nuts 1991 343 .

Plants can be grown from seeds.