Author: Merrill
Morphological description
Tree 15 m high and 30 cm in diameter; bark black to nearly brown in colour, shed in large scales and exposing pink coloured patches. Stipules lanceolate or subfalcate, 12-14 mm long, much unequally sided, puberscent, glabrescent on the outside, glabrous inside, base hemi-auriculate, caducous.
Leaves (2 or)3(or 4)-jugate; petiole 1.2-2.5 cm and rachis (1.5-)3-6(-7.2) cm long, both minutely puberulous, glabrescent, or almost glabrous; petiolules very short, up to c. 4 mm, slightly puberulous, glabrescent or glabrous. Leaflets thinly coriaceous, elliptic or obovate-elliptic, elliptic, 2.5-5(-8.5) by 2-3(-4.5) cm; apex obtuse, acute, or shortly acuminate, sometimes slightly emarginate; base obtuse or cuneate, slightly asymmetric; glabrous on both surfaces, except sometimes sparsely hairy on the midrib of lower surface.
Inflorescences paniculate, up to 15(-20) cm long, lateral branches up to 5(-10) cm long, both rachis and branches densely tawny pubescent; bracts lanceolate, (4-)6-8 mm, bracteoles resembling bracts but about half the size, both with some distinctly spiny outgrowths (up to c. 4 mm long), densely appressed puberulous on both surfaces; pedicels c. 1.5(-4) mm, densely puberulous.
Flower: Calyx lobes 4, elliptic, oblong, or lanceolate, (6.5-)10-12 mm long, bearing up to c. 10(-23) slender, easily detached, puberulous, spiny outgrowths on the outer surface, densely puberulous outside, appressed shortly hairy inside. Petal 1, narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, 10-12 mm long, densely puberulous outside and villose on the margins, glabrous inside. Stamens: united basal parts of filaments c. 3 mm high; free filaments and staminodes up to c. 18 mm, puberulous on the lower 1/2-1/3; perfect anthers 2 (biggest), ellipsoid, c. 3.5 mm long, the others (much) smaller. Ovary stiped (c. 3 mm), rhomboid, c. 3 by 2 mm, woolly mingled with many dot-like outgrowths (dissecting microscope or hand-lens!); style up to c. 23 mm, slightly hairy on about the lower 10 mm, otherwise glabrous; stigma capitate.
Pods (young) broadly ellipsoid, 4-5 by 3-3.5 cm, flattened, bearing many more or less evenly placed, straight, sharp spines (c. 5 mm long), fugaciously pubescent on and among the spines, 2-seeded (impressions on the inner surface of the valves).
Seeds (not seen, observed from the impressions) broadly elliptic, c. 3 by 2 cm (fide Merrill, 1906: 198: seeds 2 to 4, ovate, hard, black, with an arillate funicle).
Distribution
Malesia: Philippines.
Habitat & Ecology
In forests at low and medium altitudes; occurring on limestone ridges. Flowering in March, April; fruiting in April.
Uses
An important timber tree. Its wood is used for naval and general constructions and is often substituted for the more valuable Ipil wood (Intsia bijuga (Colebr.) Kuntze).
A light yellow or straw-coloured oil is secured from the wood of the living tree. It is used in the manufacture of paint, especially for use on ships, varnish for sailing boats and as an illuminant. See Brown (1921: 38, cum tab.); Burkill (1935: 2032).
Note
The present species is characterized by:
l) leaves often 3-jugate,
2) leaflets usually almost glabrous with finely and closely reticulate venation, 3) bracts , bracteoles and calyx lobes bearing spinescent outgrowths on the outer surface,
4) fruits having almost evenly spaced, straight, sharp spines,
5) stipules foliaceous, much unequally sided, lanceolate, or subfalcate and hemi-auriculate at the base.