Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Cynometra malaccensis Meeuwen (FABACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Kekatong, Katong, Belangkan

Description

Evergreen tree to 40 m with dense crown. Twigs flattened, zigzagging at each leaf. Leaves 12-30 cm long with 2-3 pairs of opposite leaflets. Flowers c. 1.2 cm long, white, in dense clusters of 2-3 cm at leaf axils, protected by scaly golden-brown bracts in bud. Fruits c. 5 cm long, circular to ovoid or broadly obovoid with short beak-like tip, flattened when young, about slightly wrinkled, fine brown scurfy.


Ecology

Common in lowland evergreen forest.

Distribution

India, Myanmar, S Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.

Uses

Timber is used for construction as heavy hardwood.