Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Dillenia suffruticosa (Griff.) Martelli (DILLENIACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Simpoh Ayer, Shrubby Simpoh

Description

Large evergreen shrub or small tree to 8 m tall and forming thicket. Leaves 15-30 cm long, elliptic to obovate, margin with shallow teeth. Flowers 8-12 cm across, yellow with yellow stamens, in branched clusters of 3-12 downward-facing flowers. Fruits c. 5 cm across, splitting open star-shaped when ripe into 5-8 carpels, pink to dull red and seeds covered with red arils.


Ecology

In secondary forest and swampy habitats.

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. Naturalised in Sri Lanka, Thailand, W. Java and Philippines.

Uses

Planted as ornamental.