Dillenia aurea Smith

Dillenia species trees. Leaves simple, large, alternate or spirally arranged, petioles channeled above, exstipulate or stipulate. Flowers solitary or clusters in terminal racemes, bracts, bracteoles caducous when present, Calyx 5 toothed, spreading, enlarged and fleshy in fruit. Corolla 5 lobed, white or yellow, usually larger than sepals, caducous. Stamens free, numerous, filaments cylindric, anthers linear with parallel loculi, Carpels 5-20, borne on a conical receptacle, radiating styles, ovules 4-80. Fruits indehiscent pseudocarps, enclosed by enlarged thick sepals, seeds exarillate.

Dillenia species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects. Flowering/Fruiting: March-July.

Seeds dispersed by barochory i.e., gravitational dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals.

Trees about 30-50 ft tall. Bark grayish brown. Leaves simple, oblong-elliptic or oblanceolate-elliptic, 21-41 x 10-24 cm across, base acute or cuneate, margins entire or undulate-dentate, apex acute, chartaceous, glabrous above, softly pubescent beneath, lateral veins 16-28 on either side of the midrib, vein ending often with small tufts of hairs, ascending obscure, impressed above, prominent, hirsute on the veins, glabrescent when mature beneath, reticulate veinlets, petioles stout, about 3-6.5 cm long. Flowers yellow, solitary or sometimes in pairs, near the shoots of older branches, of about 10-12 cm across, pedicels thick at apex, about 0.5-1.5 cm long, bracts, foliaceous, caducous, Calyx 5 toothed, sepals ovate, apex obtuse, coriaceous, pubescent, ciliate along the margins, Corolla 5 lobed, petals obovate, yellow, apex obtuse or rounded, Stamens free, numerous, inner stamens with reflexed apex, about 16-22 mm long, anthers linear. Carpels 10-12, each with 19-22 ovules, around the conical receptacle, styles spreading, curved, about 1.5-2 cm long, Fruits pseudocarps indehiscent, enclosed by enlarged thickened sepals, about 3-3.5 cm in diameter, subglobose, yellow when ripe. seeds obovoid, about 4 x 3 mm, dark brown.

Susceptible to insect pests.

Tropical deciduous forests along base of the Himalayas and eastern peninsula.

Wood is a good timber.