鱼木 yu mu

Crateva membranifolia Miquel.

Trees 3-15 m tall, to 40 cm d.b.h. Twigs light greenish to yellowish green when dried, with gray elongated lenticels. Petiole (5-)6-7(-10) cm, adaxially with minute triangular glands near rachis; petiolules 3-5(-7) mm; leaflet blades (4-)5.5-7(-10) × (2-)3-4 cm, 2-2.5 × as long as wide, thin and leathery, abaxially gray, adaxially dull green, midvein reddish, secondary veins 5-10 on each side of midvein, reticulate veins obvious, apex acuminate to abruptly acuminate. Inflorescences racemes or corymbs, 10-25-flowered, with branchlet just below flowers having fewer leaves; axis 3-7 cm, after flowering little elongated, often marked with pedicel scars; bracts 0.8-1.5 cm, leaflike or slender, caducous. Flowers open as leaves emerge. Pedicel 2-5[-9?] cm. Sepals ovate, 2-4.5 × 1.5-3 mm, apex acuminate. Petal white to yellow, claw 3.5-5 mm, blade 1.5-2.2 cm. Stamens 16-22[-30]; filaments 3-6 cm; anthers 2-3 mm. Gynophore 3.5-6.5 cm; ovary ovoid to subcylindric, 3-4 × 1-2 mm. Fruit ovoid to obovoid, 1.8-2.6[-3.5] cm; pericarp 5-10 mm thick, apically scabrous and gray to dust-colored with nearly circular ash-yellow flecks; stipe 2.5-3 mm in diam., thickened, woody. Seeds 25-30 per fruit, dark brown, 1.2-1.8 cm, tuberculate. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Jul-Aug(-Oct). 2n = 26.

Roadsides, fields; below 200 m. Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan. [Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Pacific islands].

The flowers are noted as fragrant. The species is often planted as an ornamental in S China and other S and SE Asian countries. Its dried fruit are used in China as a medicinal drug.