Litsea firma (Blume) Hook.f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 5 (1886)

Synonyms
Litsea cylindrocarpa Gamble
Litsea sibuyanensis Elmer
Litsea turfosa Kosterm.
Malapoenna firma (Blume) Kuntze
Tetranthera firma Blume

Diagnostics
Upper canopy tree up to 41 m tall and 80 cm dbh. Stipules absent. Leaves alternate, simple, penni-veined, usually glabrous, sometimes whitish below, tertiary venation forming conspicuous reticulate network. Flowers ca. 9 mm diameter, yellow, placed in axillary bundles. Fruits ca. 11 mm long, red-purple, drupes placed on enlarged flower base (cupule).

Description
Large canopy tree (up to c. 40 m high); Bole cylindrical (up to c. 80 cm diam.); straight (bole up to 30 m long); Bark brown or orange, rough, scaly or flaky (large flakes); Subrhytidome (under-bark) brown; less than 25 mm thick; bark blaze consisting of one layer; faintly to non-aromatic; outer blaze brown or orange; inner blaze orange or brown. Mature twig indumentum (hairs) absent or present when young, hairs dense to sparse (with hairs reddish). Leaves spaced along branches, alternate spiral, simple; petiole present, not winged, attached to base of leaf blade, not swollen; leaves broadest at or near middle, 6.0-13.0 cm, 2.5-6.6 cm; symmetric, entire, not dissected or lobed, obtuse, venation pinnate, secondary veins open, prominent, intramarginal veins absent; leaves lower surface yellow to green to blue-green, upper surface dark green, indumentum (hairs) absent (upper surface) to present (lower surface), indumentum (hairs) sparse (with short hairs restricted to veins of lower surface); absent; domatia absent; stipules absent. Inflorescence on the trunk or branches (on distal branchlets below leaves) to axillary, flowers arising from a single point or sometimes flowers on a branched axis; flowers unisexual, unisexual with male and female flowers on different plants, stalked, flowers with many planes of symmetry, 3.0-4.0 mm long, diameter small (up to 10 mm diam.) (3-4 mm diam.); perianth present, with all sepals and/or petals (hence tepals) similar, inner perianth pale green or pale yellow; 3 (perianth consisting of 3 outer plus 3 inner parts that are frequently similar in shape and colour), free; stamens 0 (female flowers) to 9 (male flowers), present, free of each other, free of the perianth; ovary superior (female flowers, absent in male flowers), carpels solitary, locules 1; styles solitary (female flowers) or absent (male flowers), 1. Infrutescence arising from single point or sometimes arranged on branched axis, fruit 10.0-15.0 mm long, 10.0 (c.) mm diam., red, not spiny, slightly fleshy, simple (receptacle enlarged and forming a cup around the base of the fruit), indehiscent, drupe; seeds 1, about 10 mm long, not winged, broad (as wide as long), seed 1-10 mm diam. (7-8 mm diam.). [from PNGTreesKey]

Ecology
In undisturbed mixed dipterocarp, keranga and swamp forests up to 500 m altitude. On alluvial sites as well as dry hillsides and ridges. On sandy to clay soils, but also on limestone.

Uses
Commercial hardwood, sold as Medang wood.

Distribution
Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Philippines, Celebes, Moluccas, New Guinea.

Local names
Borneo: Medang, Medang pirawas.