Johor Ethnobotany Database

Growth Form: An evergreen tree, Phaleria macrocarpa typically grows to 5-6 m in height but has been recorded to reach up to 18 m tall. It grows in tropical climates at up to 1200 m above sea level and grows best in places 1000 m above sea level.
 

Crown: Crown of dense foliage and many-branched.
 

Trunk: The main trunk reaches 15 cm in diameter, dividing into many branches. Bark greenish brown in colour, wood white. Exudes sap.
 

Roots: Large taproot system, the main root reaching 1 m in length and side roots growing up to 100 m long.
 

Foliage: Leaves green in colour, surface smooth and not hairy, upper surface older than bottom surface.
 

Flowers: Flowers small, white, trumpet-shaped and fragrant, growing in clusters of 2-4 spread throughout the tree.
 

Fruits: Fruits round in shape, ripening from green to bright red and found all over the tree, even down the trunks and at branches. Although it looks very appetising and tastes sweet, the fruit should not be consumed without prior processing as it contains saponin and other alkaloids, which can cause dizziness and even death. 
 

Seed: oval to round in shape, diameter about 1 cm and brown colour on the outside and white inside. The most toxic part of the tree, the seeds numbs the tongue.