Meliosma simplicifolia (Roxb.) Walp.

Evergreen shrub or tree, up to 20 m. Leaves elliptic or obovate to lanceolate, 3-50 by 1-18 cm, base cuneate, apex acute to acuminate, rarely caudate or rounded, entire to spinously dentate, sometimes with hairy domatia; nerves 7-25 pairs, ± ascending, sometimes looped; petiole 0.5-6(-7) cm, ½0-⅓ as long as the blade. Panicles terminal, very rarely axillary, erect, lax to rather dense, widely to narrowly pyramidal, (4-)10-50(-60) cm, usually profusely branched up to the 2nd-4th order, bearing numerous solitary to crowded or glomerulate flowers which are usually spicately arranged; primary side-axes usually many, up to c. 25 cm, often subtended by leaves; bracts ovate to linear-lanceolate, up to c. 8 mm. Pedicels sometimes present, up to c. 3 mm. Mature buds (1—)1.5—3 mm diam. Sepals (4) 5, sometimes by addition of empty bracts seemingly more, up to 11(-13), (round-)ovate, equal or usually more or less unequal, the inner ones 0.7-2 mm, the outer one(s) smaller, often minute. Inner petals more or less deeply bifid, 0.5-1.5 mm, with glabrous, sometimes fimbriate or ciliolate lobes, never with a central lobule. Filaments 0.5-1.5 mm. Ovary 0.5-0.7(-l) mm. Mature fruit (sub)globose, 4-10 mm diam.; endocarp globose to subglobose, often depressed or oblique, 3-9 mm diam., with very vague to very strong and prominent reticulum; median keel more or less prominent; ventral pore somewhat sunken to somewhat spouted.

Subtropical to tropical forests, under various conditions, usually in mountains up to c. 3000 m, but also at sea-level. For details see under the subspecies.

The young leaves are cooked and eaten especially with fish.

Plants can be grown from seeds and cuttings.