Phaleria macrocarpa

Phaleria macrocarpa
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.
Synonyms
Drimyspermum macrocarpum Scheff. Phaleria calantha Gilg Phaleria papuana Warb. ex K.Schum. & Lauterb. Phaleria wichmannii Valeton

Phaleria macrocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is commonly called buah mahkota dewa, God's crown, pau and 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.

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.

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

External links

Media related to Phaleria macrocarpa at Wikimedia Commons