90
Horsfieldia irya (Gaertn.) Warb.
Synonym : Horsfieldia lemanniana (A.DC.) Warb.
Family
: Myristicaceae
Local Names
: Pianggu, Darah-Darah
Flowering
and fruiting period:
November – April
Distribution: Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Sumatra, Peninsular
Malaysia
Habitat: Terrestrial
IUCN
status:
Data Deficient
Endemic: No
Uses: Fruits edible. A decoction of the bark can be used as a gargle
for sore throats. Latex used to clean ulcers. Leaves used to extract pus from
boils and sores. Macerated root drank with lime juice as remedy for toxic
snake bites. Minor hardwood species. Wood used for bottle lids. Its seeds
contain an oleo-resin which can be used to make varnish.
Key
Characters:
It is a tree that can grow up to 40 m tall, with
prop-roots, and buttress roots. Bark brown, shallowly fissured and flakey, exudates
red and somewhat sticky. Foliage is alternate, stalked leaves have membranous leaf blades that are often curved
towards the tip, are elliptic-oblong to lance-shaped. The plant is dioecious.
Its flowers are yellow, and its male flowers are smaller than its female
flowers. Fruiting
bodies (infructescences) contain 2–8 fruits each. Its fruits are round,
hairless, finely granular, yellowish orange. Its round seeds are covered by an
orange-red to red coverings (arils).