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Medium tree, upto 20 m high, evergreen,
erect, much branched, spreading or diffused.
Underground roots not deeply sunken but
profusely branched.
Aerial roots with sallow buttressed in
the base of the trunk
Leaves, simple, opposite, decussate, cauline
but thinner than B. gymnorrhiza, petiolate
Lamina elliptic oblong or oblanceolate,
5 - 10 cm long and 4 - 5 cm broad
Inflorescence single flowered at the large
pendulous cyme.
Flower ebracteate, pedicellate, pedicel
1 cm long, curved, terete, solid, glabrous, smooth, yellowish, bisexual,
regular, complete, pendulous, flowers 3 - 4 cm long, sepals green initially
and then turn yellow, whitish inside.
Calyx sepals 10 - 12 polysepalous, 10
-12 sepal lobes above, funnel like tube below, lobes acicular, apex pointed,
hard, persisyent, valvale.
Corolla petals 10 - 12, polypetalous,
1.2 - 1.5 cm long bilobed, alternate to the sepals, bilobed, each lobe
15 cm broad, lanceolate, coriaceous, tufted, basal side pubescent and petal
tip blunt.
Stamens 20 - 24, free, but 10 - 12 groups,
2 stamens into each folding petal, unequal filament, inserted, introse,
basifixed, smooth, the base of the filament is becoming hairy, white, round,
soft, anther bilobed, longitudinal dehisced, yellowish.
Fruit capsule/ berry, pendulous, hypocotyle
8 - 10 cm long, 1.5 - 2.0 cm diam., dark green, glabrous to slight rough,
slightly ridged and blunt upto 10 cm long with yellowish persistent calyx
tube.
Fruit fall with the seedlings.
Germination epigeal, viviparous; hypocotyle
upto 25 cm long, blunt apically.
Economic Importance : Produce good quality timber fro boat-building and carpentary work and yield high calorific valued fuelwoods.
