Hydnocarpus castanea Hook.f. & Thomson, Fl. Brit. India 1: 197 1872

Synonyms

Diagnostics
Tree up to 30 m tall, 60 cm diameter. Rather smooth whitish-grey to brown bark. Mostly glabrous but stipules rusty hairy. Flowers white, in few flowered cymes, fragrant. Fruit large, globose, up to 6,5 cm diameter, rusty hairy.

Description
Glabrous tree, 15-20(-30) m, up to 60 cm diameter; bark pale whitish grey or brownish, smooth; branches stout, angular, smooth, glabrous. Leaves elliptic-oblong or oblong, gradually attenuate and rather abruptly acuminate, +/- rounded at the base, slightly inequilateral, coriaceous, entire, +/- shining, red-brown when dry, (13-)17-30(-35) by (5-)6.5-8(-12) cm; nerves 6-7(-8) pairs, curved-ascending, prominent specially beneath, veins +/- densely reticulate, little raised above, more distinct so beneath; petiole stout, thickened at both ends, 1.5-2 cm. Stipules linear-oblong, rusty-tomentose, 4 mm, very early caducous, leaving pale scars. Flowers white, sweet-scented, male Flowers: cymes few-flowered, 2-3 mm peduncled or the flowers essentially in fascicles, rusty-pubescent all over. Sepals obovate, 6-7 by 4-5 mm, greyish-tomentulose inside. Petals narrow-oblong, 8-11 by 3 mm, glabrous; scales linear, 7 by 1.5 mm, pilose at the apex. Filaments subulate, glabrous, 2.5 mm; anthers oblong-cordate, 2.5 mm. Rudiment of the ovary rufous-tomentose. Female Flowers: pedicels 1.5-2.5 cm. Sepals and petals similar to those of male flowers, but 8-11 by 5, resp. 12-15 by 3-4 mm; scale 11 mm. Filaments subulate, thick, 2 mm, without anthers. Ovary ovoid, contracted into a conical beak, yellowish-tomentose. Fruit globose or depressed-globose, (4-)5-6.5 cm diam., minutely rugose, rather scurfy, first fulvous-velvety, glabrescent. Seeds c. 20-30, densely packed and variously angled, 2.5-3.3 by 1.8-2.5 cm. [from Flora Malesiana]

Ecology
Dense forests, swampy ground, often along small streams, up to 1200 m elevation, also on limestone cliff bases.

Uses
The whitihs wood is used.

Distribution
Peninsular Thailand and Malaysia into Sumatra.

Local names
Malaysia: Alai batu, Tengkurak lang, Tembikar periyok (Kedah), Genggulak (Perak). Thailand: Kula.