Duabanga grandiflora is a tree that grows up to 30 m in height and has large buttresses. Buttresses are support structures that grow at the base of a tree trunk that provide a wide base and additional support for tall trees that grow in shallow soil to prevent them from tipping over. The large leaves of this species are 18-30 cm long and 6-10 cm wide and are arranged opposite each other in a single plane on the branches. The flowers are arranged in clusters containing 3-20 flowers that grow at the ends of the branches. The white flowers are quite small (5.0-6.0 cm wide), with 4-8 petals, but they contain up to 50 stamens (pollen producing structures) which stick out beyond the petals. The fruit is dry at maturity, is 2-4 cm long and 4-4.5 cm wide, and releases the seeds through 6-9 valves the develop when the fruit is mature. The fruit contains many seeds each of which is 4-6 mm long.
(Haining, Q. S. Graham, and M.G. Gilbert. Lythraceae. In Flora of China 13: 274-276)
(Ridley, H.N. 1922. Lythraceae, pages 819-826 in The Flora of the Malay Peninsula Volume 1. L. Reeve and Co. Ltd, London, UK.)
Cultural Properties
The wood of Duabanga grandiflora is used for timber.
(Haining, Q. S. Graham, and M.G. Gilbert. Lythraceae. In Flora of China 13: 274-276)
Duabanga grandiflora is native to Cambodia, Eastern India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam where it is found in evergreen rain forests between 900-1500 m in elevation. It is found in open forests including vegetation adjacent to riverbanks and in valleys. The genus Duabanga contains only two other species including Duabanga moluccana, and a cultivated, proposed hybrid species Duabanga x taylorii. Duabanga x taylorii is unusual as it is known only in cultivation at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. It was grown from seed obtained from an unknown source and is thought to have come from Indonesia, however, its geographic origin and its proposed hybrid origin cannot be confirmed.
(Haining, Q. S. Graham, and M.G. Gilbert. Lythraceae. In Flora of China 13: 274-276)
We currently have 3 herbarium specimens for Duabanga grandiflora in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.
