From its peculiar habit, ''Duabanga grandiflora'' (syn. ''D. sonneratioides'') is a singular feature in its native forests. The trunk is erect, 40–80 feet high, undivided but sometimes forking from the base. The lower limbs spread drooping from the trunk; these are long, slender, sparingly branched, and the branches are four-angled, loosely covered with large spreading

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

. Since the leaves are arranged in two ranks, the slender branches resemble

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

s, bearing pinnae of a compound leaf; the leaves are further often recurved, and are deep green above, and almost white beneath. The large

blossom In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as w ...

s expand in April, exhaling a rank odour reportedly resembling

asafoetida Asafoetida (; also spelled asafetida) is the dried latex (Natural gum, gum oleoresin) exuded from the rhizome or tap root of several species of ''Ferula'', perennial herbs of the carrot family. It is produced in Iran, Afghanistan, Central As ...

when they first burst, but they become inodorous before the

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s drop. The

stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s are all bent inwards in bud. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a large as a small

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

. The wood is white and soft.

Distribution

Native to India, Nepal, southern China, Myanmar and Malaysia.

Gallery

File:Duabanga sonneratioides syn Duabanga grandiflora flowers at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W Picture 217.jpg, Flowers at Jayanti in

Buxa Tiger Reserve Buxa Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve and national park in northern West Bengal, India, covering an area of . It ranges in elevation from in the Gangetic Plains to bordering the Himalayas in the north. At least 284 bird species inhabit the ...

Jalpaiguri Jalpaiguri (), is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri district as well as of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, covering the jurisdiction of the five districts of North Bengal. The city is ...

district of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, India File:Duabanga sonneratioides syn Duabanga grandiflora middle story at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W Picture 221.jpg, Middle story at Jayanti File:Duabanga sonneratioides syn Duabanga grandiflora at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W Picture 218.jpg, At Jayanti File:Duabanga sonneratioides syn Duabanga grandiflora leaves at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W Picture 220.jpg, Leaves at Jayanti

References

* grandiflora Trees of the Indian subcontinent Trees of Indo-China Trees of Peninsular Malaysia Taxa named by Wilhelm Gerhard Walpers {{Myrtales-stub