Phaleria macrocarpa
Phaleria macrocarpa (buah mahkota dewa, God's crown, pau) is a dense evergreen tree, indigenous to Indonesia. It is found in tropical areas of New Guinea up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) above sea level.
Phaleria macrocarpa | |
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Ripe Phaleria macrocarpa | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malvales |
Family: | Thymelaeaceae |
Genus: | Phaleria |
Species: | P. macrocarpa |
Binomial name | |
Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl. | |
Botany
The height of P. macrocarpa ranges from 1–18 m (3 ft 3 in–59 ft 1 in) with greenish bark and white wood. It has green, tapered leaves. The flowers are made up to two to four petals, and range from green to maroon in color. It grows 10–1,200 m (33–3,900 ft) above sea level with a productive age that ranges from 10 to 20 years. The leaves are green and tapering with length and width ranging from 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) and 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in), respectively. The flowers make a compound of two to four, with color from green to maroon. Eclipse-shaped fruits are green when unripe, and have a diameter of 3 cm (1.2 in). They are red when ripe. The white, round pits are poisonous and fruit is of eclipse shape with a diameter of 3 cm (1.2 in). Each fruit has one to two brown, ovoid, and anatropous seeds per fruit. The extract of the plant has been evaluated for potential pharmacological uses.[1]
Images
- Young fruit of Phaleria macrocarpa in Malaysia
- The split fruit.
- Ripened fruits falls to ground
- Seedlings of Phaleria macrocarpa growing under the parent tree
References
- Altaf, Rabia; Asmawi, MohammadZaini Bin; Dewa, Aidiahmad; Sadikun, Amirin; Umar, MuhammadIhtisham (2013). "Phytochemistry and medicinal properties of Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl. extracts". Pharmacognosy Reviews. 7 (1): 73. doi:10.4103/0973-7847.112853. PMC 3731883. PMID 23922460.