This is a very complex and variable species that is treated by some authorities as a number of distinct but closely related species (see the list of synonyms below). In addition, some authorities such as the Flora of China place it in the genus Campylospermum. We have decided to follow the treatment in Flora Malesiana and treat it as one highly variable species.

Common Name:

General Information

Gomphia serrata is a shrub or tree growing up to 25 metres tall with a bole up to 40cm in diameter[]. Branchlets of young plants are sometimes scrambling[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its timber and medicinal applications.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - China, Indian subcontinent, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

Primary and secondary vegetation in mixed Dipterocarp forests, peat swamp forests, high kerangas forests, ridge forests, and open scrub vegetation; on level land to steep slopes, also near river-banks and on cliffs near the sea, to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is confined to tropical areas with an everwet climate or with a moderately dry monsoon, at elevations up to 1,500 metres[].
A plant of dappled shade in woodlands[]. Found in the wild on rocky, sandy, loamy or clayish soils that are usually acid[]. It is sometimes found on limestone, but it is very probable that the soils in the localities concerned have been leached out[]. The plant is often found in the wild in Kerangas forest - a type of moist, heath forest found on acidic, sandy soils that are low in nutrients, especially nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

The leaves are chewed by jungle tribes in Malaya[].

Medicinal

The roots and leaves are bitter[]. A decoction is used as a stomachic and antiemetic tonic[, ].

Young branches are used as a treatment for tooth-ache[, ].

Other Uses

The dull red or red-brown wood is hard and strong, close and even-grained, easy to saw but apt to split in drying[, ]. It is used as poles or planks for the construction of houses[].
The wood makes a good charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed -

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