Planchonia grandis Ridl.

Trees, up to 31 m high, up to 1 m diam. Bark brown, vertically grooved. Branchlets dark brown, smooth to striate, c. 4 mm thick, leaf-scars distinct, leaf-traces sometimes visible. Leaves: petiole c. 1 cm long, wing much narrower on the lower part, almost invisible; blade obovate to elliptic, 5-14 by 4-6 cm, coriaceous, base slightly decur­rent, margin entire to subentire, apex acuminate, acumen short, tip blunt, both surfaces dark green, upper somewhat glossy, lower dull; midrib strongly prominent beneath, prominulous or flat above, lateral nerves 9-10 pairs, making an angle of 45-80° with the midrib, arcuately anastomosing near the margin, prominent on the lower surface, flat above, tertiary nerves and reticulation obscure; veinlets not ending in a mucro. Inflorescences spikes, many-flowered, up to 8 cm long; rachis 5-8 mm thick; bracts attached to the rachis, ovate, up to 15 by 7 mm; bracteoles at the base of the calyx tube, oblong, c. 7 by 2 mm. Calyx green, tube turbinate, not ribbed, c. 1 cm long; lobes coriaceous, semiorbicular, c. 4 by 7 mm. Petals obovate, tapering towards the base, up to 3 by 1.5 cm, papyraceous, greenish white. Stamens numerous, tube c. 5 mm long, red, free part c. 30 mm long, white; anthers c. 0.4 by 0.3 mm. Disc a rim, c. 1 mm high. Style up to 4.5 cm long, white. Fruits fleshy, globose, c. 4 cm diam., astringent, bitter, green, white inside, smell of turpentine. Seeds 3 or more, obliquely ovoid, longitudinally compressed, not angular, c. 1.5 cm long; coat coriaceous, brown, c. 0.2 mm thick.

A tropical plant.

Uses Phytochemical studies by Crublet et al. ( Phytochemistry 64 2003 589-594 ) show that leaves of P. grandis contain three acylated flavonol glycosides. They have potential medicinal application.