Etymology | Genus | 'Strong wood' in Greek, referring to the timber |
---|---|---|
Species | From Cochinchina, the name used to refer to southern Vietnam during its French colonial period | |
Family | Hypericaceae | |
Synonyms | Cratoxylum polyanthum Korth. | |
Common Names | Red Mempat | |
Status | Native: Endangered | |
Form | Tree | |
Native Distribution | Myanmar, Indo-China, South China, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, Philippines |
Cratoxylum cochinchinense is a tree of up to 30 m tall. Often easily recognisable by its pale brown to reddish-brown bark which is patchy because it peels off in long pieces (Neo et al., 2016).
The lance-shaped or elliptic leaves are quite narrow, thin in texture, and are red when young. The flowers are usually deep red, but they can also be pink or orange.
A tree planted on the National University of Singapore campus.
The patch-like pattern of the outer bark after pieces have peeled off.
The young leaves are red, making for a distinctive and attractive foliage.
The leaves are narrow with faint but visible veins on the underside.
Reddish flowers.
Splitting fruits.