''Cratoxylum sumatranum'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

Hypericaceae Hypericaceae is a plant family in the order Malpighiales, comprising six to nine genera and up to 700 species, and commonly known as the St. John's wort family. Members are found throughout the world apart from extremely cold or dry habitats. ...

family. Found in Southeast Asia, it grows up to tall and is harvested locally for timber and fuel.

Description

The tree may grow up to tall and

diameter at breast height Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements. Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...

, with cracked and fissured

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

. The stems produce whitish-yellowish

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a wikt:milky, milky fluid, which is present in 10% of all floweri ...

. The leaves have an opposite arrangement, are simple, elliptic and a glossy rich green. Its flowers are 5-parted and clustered on terminal

panicles In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...

. They are small (approximately 8mm in diameter), reddish with white linings around the petals. The fruits, which appear in July, are approximately 8mm long, yellow-brown-black capsules, filled with many small winged seeds.

Taxonomy

The species was originally placed in the defunct genus ''Elodes'' under the name ''Elodes sumatrana''. It was moved into ''Cratoxylum'' as ''C. sumatranum'' in 1856 by

Carl Ludwig Blume Charles Ludwig de Blume or Karl Ludwig von Blume (9 June 1796 – 3 February 1862) was a German-Dutch botanist and entomologist who spent most of his professional life in the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. As deputy director of agricul ...

. Two

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

are recorded: * ''Cratoxylum sumatranum'' subsp. ''blancoi'' - Philippines * ''Cratoxylum sumatranum'' subsp. ''sumatranum'' - the nominate infraspecific -

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...

Distribution and habitat

''Cratoxylum sumatranum'' is indigenous to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, including Borneo, Malaya, and the Philippines. It is found in disturbed open areas, especially on hillsides and ridges on clay or sandy soils.

Uses

The plant is harvested locally and used for its timber and for fuel or charcoal. A 2021 study demonstrated that bark extracts from the species exhibited

antimalarial Antimalarial medications or simply antimalarials are a type of antiparasitic chemical agent, often naturally derived, that can be used to treat or to prevent malaria, in the latter case, most often aiming at two susceptible target groups, young ...

capabilities in a laboratory setting, and could have applications as an antimalarial drug.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4346093 sumatranum Trees of Indo-China Trees of Malesia Least concern plants Least concern biota of Asia Taxa named by William Jack (botanist) Plants described in 1822