Gonystylus confusus (PROSEA)

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Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Gonystylus confusus Airy Shaw

Protologue: Kew Bull.: 10 (1947).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: banitan, sitabai (Sumatra)
• Malaysia: (ramin) pinang muda (Peninsular), karu-karu (Selangor), gelugor tawar (Pahang).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia and probably also in northern Sumatra.

Uses

The timber is used as ramin.

Observations

• A small to medium-sized tree of up to 30 m tall, bole up to 70 cm in diameter, bark surface not fissured, with elongated, adherent scales, dull grey and green or dark brown, inner bark yellow and pink.
• Leaves oblanceolate-oblong or rarely oblong, 8-27 cm × 2-9 cm, cuneate to rounded at base, cuspidate to shortly acuminate at apex, glabrous except for a few adpressed hairs near the midrib below, petiole 8-17 mm long.
• Inflorescence 6-20 cm long.
• Calyx lobes not reflexed, petals about 30, subulate-filiform, glabrous, ovary with 3 small abortive styles around the base of the functional style.
• Fruit subglobose, 4-10 cm in diameter.

G. confusus is fairly common in evergreen, non-inundated rain forest, and occurs on hills and low-lying land, up to 600 m altitude.

Selected sources

620, 748, 779, 807.

Main genus page

• Gonystylus

Authors

• L.E. Groen (selection of species)