''Azadirachta excelsa'', commonly known as sentang,
[ is a tree in the mahogany family ]Meliaceae
Meliaceae, the mahogany family, is a flowering plant family of mostly trees and shrubs (and a few herbaceous plants, mangroves) in the order Sapindales.
They are characterised by alternate, usually pinnate leaves without stipules, and by syncarp ...
. The specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
' is from the Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
meaning "lofty".[
]
Description
''Azadirachta excelsa'' grows up to tall with a trunk diameter of up to . Its bark is pinkish grey or pinkish brown. The sweetly scented flowers are creamy-white. Its fruits are ellipsoid, green turning yellow at maturity, up to long.[
]
Distribution and habitat
''Azadirachta excelsa'' is native to Malesia
Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms, and also a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical Kingdom. It has been given different definitions. The ...
and Vietnam.[
]
References
excelsa
Trees of Malesia
Trees of Vietnam
Plants described in 1820
{{Meliaceae-stub