Mostly large, deciduous trees. Leaves spiral, imparipinnate, petioled. Leaflets ± opposite, chartaceous or thinly coriaceous, entire, often with hairy domatia. Inflorescences axillary, paniculate. Flowers bisexual. Calyx 5-lobed. Petals 5, imbricate, papillose on both surfaces. Stamens 5, opposite the calyx lobes and alternate with 5 staminodes (absent in extra-Mal. sp.), all inserted at the outer base of the disk; filaments subulate, papillose; anthers basi-or dorsifixed, ovoid or ellipsoid; staminodes filamentous or like small stamens. Disk shortly cupular and 10-grooved outside, or discoid and crenulate. Ovary subglobose, pilose, usually glabrescent, 1-celled; style short, stigma subglobose or slightly 2-grooved or-lobed. Drupe 1-celled, purplish then black; endocarp thin, subcoriaceous. Seed with testa free from the endocarp; cotyledons free, plano-convex or flat.
Lowland forest, sometimes in seasonally inundated places.CORNER observed that "pelong or pelajau trees are easily recognized by their graceful, feathery crowns, but it would seem difficult to identify them further were it not for their very characteristic bushy inflorescences which decay slowly and thus, as they lie on the ground beneath the trees, render them easy of recognition.".
Uses. The timber of P. motleyi and P. velutinus (trade name for both species in Malaya: pelong) is reported to be non-durable. The wood is moderately hard and moderately heavy and is used for cheap flooring; cf. DESCH Mal. For. Rec. 15 1957 15-17 .An oil, obtained from P. officinalis (= P. motleyi), known as minyak plang in Perak, Malaya, m. pelandjau in Borneo, is used for curing certain skin diseases; cf. KING J. As. Soc. Beng. 65 ii 1896 500 HEYNE Nutt. Pl. 1927 977 . CORNER ( CORNER Ways. Trees 1940 113 ) says that "the oil in Malaya is obtained by hacking a basin-like cavity in one side of the trunk and allowing the oil to drain slowly into it, exactly as damar is collected from Dipterocarpus trees." LANE-POOLE ( LANE-POOLE For. Res. 1925 499 ) reported that the wood of P. motleyi contains abundant oil which is heavy and misty brown in colour and "resembles motor lubricating oil as used for cylinders". He did not mention any use of it.The fruits of P. motleyi are edible after boiling.
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