Bridelia glauca Blume, Bijdr. (1826)

Synonyms
Bridelia acuminatissima Merr.
Bridelia glauca var. acuminatissima (Merr.) S.Dressler
Bridelia glauca var. laurifolia Jabl.
Bridelia glauca var. sosopodonica (Airy Shaw) S.Dressler
Bridelia lauraefolia Elm.
Bridelia multiflora Zipp.
Bridelia nooteboomii Chakrab.
Bridelia pubescens Kurz
Bridelia sosopodonica Airy Shaw
Cleistanthus myrianthoides C.B.Rob.
Cleistanthus oblongifolius var. scaber Mull.Arg.

Description
(Shrub to) tree, up to 30 m high, with a clear bole up to 18 m high, 45 cm dbh, sometimes with a few buttresses, up to 1.5 m high, 3 m out, 10 cm thick, basal trunk sometimes provided with root-thorns; branches reddish brown pubescent to tomentose (especially when young), inconspicuously lenticellate, older branchlets thorny. Outer bark dark greyish brown, to 5 mm thick, smooth, rarely fissured, not peeling off; inner bark yellowish white, up to 4 mm thick; sapwood up to 5 cm thick, yellowish white to orange, no exudate; heartwood ochre to dark brown. Stipules ovately triangular, 8-12 by 3-5(-6) mm, plain green, brownish pubescent, caducous, but often present on younger twigs. Leaves: petiole subterete, 5-11 by 1-2.5 mm, pubescent; blade elliptic, slightly ovate (to elliptic), 40-280 by 20-120 mm, length/width ratio 1.9-3.1, (membranaceous to) chartaceous, base acute, obtuse, or (often) truncate, margin entire, apex acute to acuminate, acumen up to 25 mm long, upper surface glabrous, rarely along the main veins scattered hairy, dark green, sometimes glossy, lower surface light brownish to reddish pubescent, rarely glabrous or tomentose, light green, slightly glaucous beneath, brownish when dry; venation: secondary veins in (7-)11-18(-20) pairs, prominent beneath, continuously bent towards the margin, joining the next secondaries, tertiary veins weakly percurrent, c. right-angled to secondaries, only slightly prominent, ultimate venation reticulate. Inflorescences multibracteate glomerules of many (up to 50) conspicuously pedicelled, rarely only subsessile flowers, not terminal and not at special leafless branches; bracts triangular, less than 1 mm long, densely brownish pubescent, very inconspicuous (lens!). Flowers 3-5 mm in diameter, yellowish green; pedicel (1-)2-6 by 0.3-2 mm, densely pubescent, rarely glabrous, pedicel of pistillate flowers sometimes stouter; sepals (narrowly) triangular, 1.5-2.3 by 1-1.5 mm, brownish pubescent or puberulous outside; petals lanceolate, spathulate, cuneiform or rectangular, 0.6-0.8 by 0.2-0.5 mm, base c. narrowed, whitish; disc brownish. Staminate flowers: disc 1.5-2 mm in diameter, yellow whitish; stamens: free part of filaments up to 1 mm long, very slender, whitish; anthers ellipsoid to slightly ovoid, 0.5-0.6 by 0.3-0.4 mm, pale yellow, staminal column 0.8-1.5 mm long; pistillode conical cylindrical, blunt at apex, up to 0.5 by 0.2 mm. Pistillate flowers c. perigynous; outer disc 1.2-1.5 mm in diameter, inner one crateriform, c. 0.5 mm long, completely surrounding the ovary, with a ring of few hairs inside, the pistillate flowers; ovary globose to slightly ovoid, apically terminating into the style, 0.6-0.7 by 0.3-0.4 mm in diameter, styles up to 1.2 mm long, lower half united, apical branches of styles bifid, slightly exserting. lnfructescences with up to 8 fruits. Fruits (conical) ellipsoid, acute or blunt at apex, 5.5-10(-12) by 4.5-7.5(-9) mm in diameter, pale purple, turning black with some light (white or pink) spots, bluish black when dry; mesocarp juicy, sweetish; endocarp woody, ellipsoid, 5-8 by 4-8 mm. Seed one per fruit, ellipsoid with shallow lateral furrow, 4.5-6.5 by 3-4.5 mm; testa rugulate, light greenish brown. [from Flora Malesiana]

Ecology
In disturbed or open sites in mixed dipterocarp, sub-montane and keranga forests, but also in scrub vegetation up to 2000 m altitude. Usually along rivers or on alluvial sites with sandy to clay soils, also on limestone.

Uses
The wood is used locally as pepper posts and for bridge and house construction. Fruits are edible.

Distribution
India, Birma, Thailand, Taiwan, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Philippines, Celebes, Moluccas, New Guinea.

Local names
Borneo: Kanidei, Meretanak, Pentanah.