A pantropical treelet that grows to a height of 6m. Bark is ridged and fissured. Stems are angular and green. Leaves are simple, glabrous, and pseudo-sessile. Blade is membranaceous, spathulate, without visible secondary nerves and measures 10.5cm × 3cm, 4.8cm × 1cm, 7cm × 1.6cm, and 7.4cm × 2cm. Fruits are cordate, flattened capsules with two lobes, each with a rounded membranous wing, notched between the lobes, green to light brown, and measuring 1.7cm × 1.3cm – 1.2cm × 5mm. Fruit pedicels are slender and up to 2cm long. Each lobe is dehiscent and exposes one or two black seeds.

Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, antiviral and hypotensive (plant); anodyne, astringent, diaphoretic, febrifuge, odontalgic and vulnerary (leaves)

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation
Plants For A Future database

Behenic acid, beta-sitosterol, linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid (seed); caffeic acid, cyanidin, kaempferol, quercetin (plant); stigmasterol (stem); tannin (bark); quercetin-3-O-galactoside (leaf); hyperin, rutin (fruit); isorhamnetin, penduletin, pinocembrin (shoot); quercetol (flower).

For skin disease (heated leaves); to reduce fever, to treat eczema, and to heal ulcers (decoction of barks); to relieve fever, colic, gout and rheumatism, and as a treatment for venereal diseases (leaf decoction); for flatulence (wood powder)

Christophe Wiart. Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific, P:172-173, CRC Press, June 2006.