''Xanthophyllum obscurum'' is a tree in the family

Polygalaceae The Polygalaceae or the milkwort family are made up of flowering plants in the order Fabales. They have a near-cosmopolitan range, with about 27 genera and ''ca''. 900 known species of herbs, shrubs and trees. Over half of the species are in on ...

. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

' is from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

meaning 'dark', referring to the dark colour of the dried flowers and fruits.

Description

''Xanthophyllum obscurum'' grows up to tall with a trunk diameter of up to . The smooth bark is pale and brown-grey. The flowers are white or purple. The edible, round fruits are brown or blackish and measure up to in diameter.

Distribution and habitat

''Xanthophyllum obscurum'' grows naturally in southern

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and western

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 ...

. Its habitat is lowland mixed

dipterocarp Dipterocarpaceae is a family of flowering plants with 22 genera and about 695 known species of mainly lowland tropical forest trees. Their distribution is pantropical, from northern South America to Africa, the Seychelles, India, Indochina, Indo ...

and lower montane forests from sea-level to altitude.

References

obscurum Trees of Thailand Trees of Sumatra Trees of Malaya Trees of Borneo Plants described in 1874 Taxa named by Alfred William Bennett {{rosid-tree-stub