Xylopia rubescens Oliv.

Tall tree 4.5–27(–30) m. tall, with smooth pale grey or grey-brown bark and numerous stilt roots; young shoots finely adpressed ferruginous pubescent, but very soon glabrous, older shoots with longitudinally rugose grey-brown bark.. Leaf-blades oblong to elliptic, oblanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, (7–)9–21.5 cm. long, (2.2–)4–8.5 cm. wide, obtuse to ± abruptly acuminate at the apex, rounded to cuneate and slightly decurrent at the base, thinly to thickly coriaceous, glabrous and drying bluish-or dull green above, finely adpressed pubescent or glabrescent and drying a distinct orange-brown colour beneath (but grey in life); venation finely reticulate and often prominent on both surfaces or obscure above; petiole 0.5–1.8 cm. long, glabrescent or finely pubescent.. Flowers solitary or in 2–5-flowered fascicles; pedicels 4–6 mm. long, adpressed ferruginous pubescent; bracteoles 2–5, oblong, 2 mm. long.. Sepals ovate-triangular, 2–4 mm. long, 2–3 mm. wide, acute to apiculate, adpressed pubescent outside, glabrous and often crimson inside.. Petals very unequal; outer orange-yellow or greenish-yellow, mostly crimson at the base within, narrowly linear-lanceolate, but widened and concave at the base, (2–)2.6–3.7 cm. long, 3–4 mm. wide, 3-angled above, silky ferruginous pubescent outside, puberulous within save at base; inner crimson, rhomboid to oblanceolate or elliptic, 5–8 mm. long, 2.5–3.5 mm. wide, apiculate, keeled, concave, silky pubescent above outside, otherwise glabrous.. Stamens linear, ± 2 mm. long; connective-prolongation obliquely capitate, papillose.. Carpels 8–11; ovary cylindrical, ± 1.5–2 mm. long, adpressed pubescent with simple or 2-branched hairs, 9–10-ovuled; style linear, 2–3.5 mm. long, papillate.. Fruiting pedicels 1–1.5 cm. long; monocarps 1–11, green, ± cylindrical, 2–7 cm. long, 0.8–1.2 cm. wide, curved, apiculate, 1–8-seeded, ± constricted between the seeds, glabrescent, finely rugose; stipes 0.5–1 cm. long.. Seeds reddish-brown, globose to cylindric, 0.7–1.2 cm. long, 5–9 mm. wide and thick, vertical; aril 2–4 mm. long, made up of many filaments.

Riverine forests, freshwater swamp forests and relicts of evergreen mist forests, at elevations from near sea level to 1,530 metres.

Can be grown by seedlings.