Lasianthus griffithii Wight, Calc. J. Nat. Hist. 6 (1846)
Named after W. Griffith [1810-1845], a British physician and botanist.Synonyms
Lasianthus griffithii var. latibracteata King & Gamble
Mephitidia griffithii (Wight) Walp.
Nonatelia griffithii (Wight) Kuntze
Lasianthus spathulatus Miq.
Lasianthus polycarpus Miq.
Description
Shrub up to 5 m tall and 5 cm dbh. Branches spreading horizontally. Stipules
ca. 10 mm long, leaf-like. Leaves opposite, simple, penni-veined, hairy. Flowers
ca. 5 mm diameter, white-pink-purplish, with short corolla tube, placed in
axillary bundles. Fruits ca. 7 mm diameter, blue-purple, berries.
Ecology
In undisturbed mixed dipterocarp, keranga, swamp and sub-montane forests up
to 1400 m altitude. On ridges and hillsides, but also common on alluvial sites
and along rivers and streams. On sandy to clay soils. In secondary forests
usually present as a pre-disturbance remnant.
Distribution
Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo (throughout the island).
