(Named after E.A. Forsten [1811-1843], a physician in the Dutch East
Indies who collected many plants)
Synonyms
Cassuvium forstenii Kuntze
Cassuvium silvestre s. Lau Lassi (e Ternate) Rumph.
Semecarpus congestiflora K.Sch. & Laut.
Semecarpus decipiens Merr. & Perry
Semecarpus laxiflora K.Sch.
Semecarpus laxiflora var. glabrescens Laut.
Semecarpus roxburghii Bl.
Semecarpus scabrida Bl.
Semecarpus scabrida var. elongata Bl.
Semecarpus uncata Slis
Description
Sub-canopy tree up to 27 m tall and 41 cm dbh. Stipules absent. Leaves
alternate, simple, penni-veined. Flowers ca. 2.5 mm in diameter, white, placed
in panicles. Fruits ca. 8 mm long, orange fleshy drupe with cupule.
Ecology
Undisturbed lowland forests up to 1200 m altitude, but usually much lower.
Also found in inundated areas and swamps, rarely on limestone. In secondary
forests usually present as a pre-disturbance remnant.
Uses
In the Moluccas the wood is used for making canoos.
Distribution
Lesser Sunda Islands, Borneo (East-Kalimantan and Sabah), Philippines, Celebes, Moluccas, New
Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands.
Local names
Borneo: Rengas.
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