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''Dillenia suffruticosa'', also known as simpoh air, simpor, or CB leaf, is a species of '' Dillenia'' found in tropical South East Asia in
File:YosriSimpohAir1.jpg, Branches of simpor leaf
File:Dillenia suffruticosa (49956797281).jpg, ''D. suffruticosa'' leaf
The tree flowers after 3 or 4 years.
The flowers bloom on long peduncles facing downwards, wide, and yellow in colour. They have no scent and no nectar. The flower blooms daily at around 3 am and opening flowers are fully opened one hour before sunrise. They are pollinated by bees, small beetles as well as flies that scramble over them. They point up when they produce and develop fruit after they are pollinated, the fruits take up to 5 weeks to fully develop.
The developed fruit is a star-shaped capsule with 7 or 8 rays, it is pink with white borders. It has scarlet pulp with purple or pale brown seeds that have fleshy, bright red
File:Dillenia suffruticosa fruit.jpg, Opened ''D. suffruticosa'' fruit capsule with seeds inside
File:Simpoh Air (Dillenia suffruticosa) 3.jpg, Empty ''D. suffruticosa'' fruit capsule
Uses Of Dillenia Flower
Flower Chimp Singapore The storage properties consist of large leaves of the plant being used to wrap food ( tempeh 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.
secondary forest
A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has regenerated through largely natural processes after human-caused Disturbance (ecology), disturbances, such as Logging, timber harvest or agriculture clearing, or ...
and swampy ground. It is a highly invasive weed
A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. Pla ...
in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
.
The simpor is the national flower of Brunei
Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
, and can be found everywhere across the country. Claire Waight Keller included the plant to represent the country in Meghan Markle's wedding
A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...
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. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
country.
Description
The simpor tree is a large,evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...
shrub
A shrub or 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 by their multiple ...
that grows to metres high. It has a stout trunk and forms thickets.
Its leaves are simple and arranged alternatively like cabbage. Each leaf blade is long and wide on long petioles. Its young leaves are fuzzy underneath.
Flowers and fruit
The flowers bloom on long peduncles facing downwards, wide, and yellow in colour. They have no scent and no nectar. The flower blooms daily at around 3 am and opening flowers are fully opened one hour before sunrise. They are pollinated by bees, small beetles as well as flies that scramble over them. They point up when they produce and develop fruit after they are pollinated, the fruits take up to 5 weeks to fully develop.
The developed fruit is a star-shaped capsule with 7 or 8 rays, it is pink with white borders. It has scarlet pulp with purple or pale brown seeds that have fleshy, bright red aril
An aril (), also called 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 seed to the ova ...
s. The fruits are eaten by birds and even by monkeys.
Distribution and habitat
The plant is found in tropicalSouth East Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
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.Flower Chimp Singapore The storage properties consist of large leaves of the plant being used to wrap food ( tempeh 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.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5276875 suffruticosa Flora of Malesia Invasive plant species in Sri Lanka