''Dillenia suffruticosa'' (simpoh air
or CB leaf) is a species of ''
Dillenia
''Dillenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Dilleniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of southern Asia, Australasia, and the Indian Ocean islands.
The genus is named after the German botanist Johann Jacob Dillenius, ...
'' found in tropical South East Asia in
secondary forest
A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...
and
swampy ground. It is a large,
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
to 6 metres high. It flowers continuously with yellow
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s 10 to 12 cm wide.
''Dillenia suffruticosa'' is the national flower of
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
, and can be found everywhere across the country.
Claire Waight Keller
Clare Waight Keller (born 19 August 1970) is a British Wardrobe stylist, stylist and fashion designer, who has served as the Artistic Director for a number of luxury fashion houses and brands, including Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and Givenchy. ...
included the plant to represent the country in
Meghan Markle's wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
veil, which included the distinctive flora of each
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
country.
It is a highly
invasive
Invasive may refer to:
*Invasive (medical) procedure
*Invasive species
*Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance
*Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...
weed in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
.
Description
''Dillena suffruticosa'' is described to be a 6–10 meters high shrub, with alternating leaves, simple, pinnately-veined, petiole winged, blade-like 12-40x6-12 cm leaves, and a eudicot plant. The flowers are large, 10–13 cm wide, they are yellow in color and scentless. They are found on long peduncles and face downwards; the plant produces no nectar. The flower blooms daily at around 3am and opening flowers are fully opened one hour before sunrise.
Other sources (Corners) say that bees appear to be the pollinators which gather their pollen, as well as small beetles and flies that scramble over the flowers, the flower moves in the appropriate position to prepare for fruit growth (pointing up when the flower starts to produce fruits, the fruits take up to 5 weeks to develop.
The fruit is pink and is a star-shaped capsule with purple seeds that have a fleshy, bright red
aril
An aril (pronounced ), also called an arillus, is a specialized outgrowth from a seed that partly or completely covers the seed. An arillode or false aril is sometimes distinguished: whereas an aril grows from the attachment point of the see ...
. The fruits are eaten by birds and even by monkeys.
Distribution and habitat
The plant is found in tropical
South East Asia in secondary forest and swampy grounds that are undisturbed forest such as riversides up to 700 m altitude. They can also be found on alluvial places such as swamps, mangroves, riversides, but sometimes also present on hillsides and ridges, which have clayey to sandy soil texture. ''Dillenia suffruticosa'' is also found in Sri Lanka, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and in the tropical regions of Singapore, and Hawaii (where it is an introduced species).
Uses
''Dillenia suffruticosa'' has other uses, these include medicine and storage. The medicinal properties include the leaves and roots being used against inflammations, itch, stomach ache, and recovery after
delivery.
Uses Of Dillenia Flower
Flower Chimp Singapore The storage properties consist of large leaves of the plant being used to wrap food (tempeh
Tempeh or tempe (; jv, ꦠꦺꦩ꧀ꦥꦺ, témpé, ) is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. A fungus, ''Rhizopus ...
or fermented soy bean cake) instead of using a plastic bag and/or the leaves can be shaped into a cone to contain or hold food ( rojak). They can be used to attract birds in urban areas and are planted as an ornamental plant.
Synonyms
#''Dillenia burbidgei (Hook.f.) Martelli''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5276875