Gmelina elliptica Sm., in Rees, Cycl. 16 (1810)

Synonyms
Gmelina asiatica var. villosa (Roxb.) Bakh.
Gmelina villosa Roxb.

Description
Understorey tree up to 13 m tall and 25 cm dbh. Stem with spines. Stipules absent, but with spines. Leaves opposite, simple, tripli-veined, hairy below, whitish below, with glands at upper leaf base near petiole insertion. Flowers ca. 18 mm diameter, yellow, with corolla tube, placed in racemes. Fruits ca. 13 mm long, green-yellow, drupes.

Ecology
In secondary regrowth, especially along roads and other open sites in coastal regions up to 100 m altitude. Can form dense thickets.

Distribution
Pantropical, but originally from tropical Asia. Considered a pest. In Borneo collected in Sabah, South- and East-Kalimantan.