Identification:
A medium-sized tree, 15-20 meters tall, with young branches covered in dense, yellowish-brown hairs. Leaves are opposite, once-pinnately compound, and odd-pinnate, 20-50 cm long, typically bearing 5-9 leaflets. Leaflets are ovate to broadly ovate, 12-20 cm long and 7-12 cm wide, with entire margins and a yellowish-brown, hairy underside with a few sunken glands.
Inflorescences are lax racemes at the branch tips, 15-25 cm long and 25-30 cm wide, densely hairy. Flowers are yellow, 6-7 cm long. The calyx is bell-shaped, 2-4 cm tall, hairy on the outside, with 5 nearly equal lobes. The corolla is funnel-shaped, narrowed at the base and flaring towards the top, with 5 lobes. Stamens are 4, not extending beyond the corolla. The fruit is a twisted, cylindrical capsule, 30-70 cm long and 1.5-2.5 cm in diameter, with 5 longitudinal ridges. Seeds are 2-3 cm long, 0.7-1.2 cm wide, with thin wings.
Biology and Ecology:
Flowering occurs from May to August, and fruiting from April to November of the following year. Reproduction is via seeds.
Distribution:
- Vietnam: Quảng Trị (Hướng Hoá: Lao Bảo), Ninh Thuận (Ninh Phước: Cà Ná), An Giang (Châu Đốc).
- Worldwide: India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos.
Value:
The tree provides good quality wood that is resistant to termites, used in construction and for making household items. The bark is used medicinally.
Conservation Status:
Although the species has a relatively wide distribution, it is fragmented. It is a target for timber harvesting, leading to a decline in mature individuals.
Assessment:
VU B1+2a.
Conservation Measures:
The species is listed in the Vietnam Red Book (1996) with an assessment of “insufficiently known” (Level K). Conservation in the natural environment is recommended, including a halt to felling and exploitation. Efforts should be made to find seed sources for planting and conservation within Núi Chúa National Park in Ninh Thuận.