Botanical Name - Dolichandrone spathacea (L.f.) Seem.

Tree, often branching from near the base, -1500 cm. Flowering May-Jul (-Sep). Flowers about 7 cm across, -15 cm long, flowering during the night. Very fragrant. Calyx a spathe. Inflorescence with 2-8 flowers. Fruit 25-50 cm long, 1.7-2.5 cm broad. Seeds corky-winged, floating. Leaves pinnate, with 2-4 pairs of leaflets and an end one. In mangrove swamps and tidal marshes, between Negombo and Galle. Indigenous. From India through Southeast Asia and Indonesia to New Caledonia and the Salomon islands. Said to be pollinated by moths. (J de V)