Salacia macrophylla Blume

Liana, sometimes shrub or shrubby creeper. Stipules triangular or reniform, 0.25-2/3 mm long, erose or laciniate. Leaves subcoriaceous, sometimes shining, elliptic to narrow elliptic-lanceolate, obovate-oblong, broad-ovate, lanceolate to nar-row-lanceolate, 7½-34 by 4.5-13.5 cm (on sterile branches up to 43 by 16.5(-20) cm); base cuneate, attenuate, obtuse or rounded; apex acuminate, cuspidate, rarely acute or obtuse; margin entire rarely remotely crenulate; nerves 7-14 pairs; petiole ½-2½ cm. Bracts triangular, c. 1 mm long, slightly erose. Pedicels 6-10 mm. Flowers greenish yellow or pale yellow, or whitish, sometimes light rose, pink or red, in fascicles, on very short axillary bracteate tubercles, sometimes rami-florous. Calyx lobes triangular, c. 1 mm long, acute or obtuse, slightly erose, rarely laciniate. Petals ± erect at anthesis, broad-elliptic, elliptic-oblong, ovate, broad-ovate, 1-3 by ½-2 mm, acute or obtuse. Disk thin, roundish, developing from discoid to cupular, 1.5-2 mm ø. Stamens 3, 1-1¼ mm. Pistil c. 0.5 mm emerging from the disk, pyramidal at the base and narrowed into a cylindric style. Ovary 3-celled. Ovules (2-)4 in each cell. Fruit broad-ellipsoid or subglobose, 5½-6.5 by 5-5½ cm, sometimes up to 8 cm ø (cf. HEYNE Nutt. Pl. 1927 985 ), orange or red. Seeds 3 or more in each fruit, white, ellipsoid, 2-3 by 1-2 cm.

It is a tropical plant. It grows in lowland rainforest near the coast. It can occasionally be in freshwater swamps and on limestone rocks. It can be up to 1,200 m altitude.

Uses. A decoction from the roots is used in Pahang after childbirth. The ground leaves are applied for belly-ache and also used as a poultice against eczema. The fruits, i.e. the flesh round the seeds, are sweetish and edible (Cf. HEYNE Nutt. Pl. 1927 985 BURKILL Dict. 2 1935 1942 ).

Can be grown by seedlings.