An evergreen, much-branched tree, up to 14 m. in height and 2.4 m in girth. Bark reddish brown, soft, rough, exfoliating in thin flakes, 2.5 cm. thick; leaves lanceolate or oblong, 10-20 cm.x 3.6 cm crowded towards the ends of branches, petiole covered with white scales when young; flowers showy, in shades of red, or nearly white, sometimes spotted, in many-flowered, head-like corymbs; capsules oblong, curved, longitudinally ribbed, up to 3.8 cm x 1.25 cm; seeds minute, dark brown, compressed, oblong.

Cholinergic and antiinflammatory activity (flowers); astringent and poultice (leaves)

Plants for a Future

Betulinic acid (bark)

On forehead in headache, to treat gout and rheumatism (leaves); menstrual disorders, in diarrhoea and dysentery (flowers); coughs, diarrhoea and dysentery (bark juice). Flowers are crushed and snuffed to stop nasal bleeding.