Strobocalyx arborea
| Strobocalyx arborea | |
|---|---|
| Leaves and flowers | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Genus: | Strobocalyx |
| Species: | S. arborea |
| Binomial name | |
| Strobocalyx arborea (Buch.-Ham.) Sch.Bip. | |
| Synonyms | |
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Strobocalyx arborea, formerly widely known by the synonym Vernonia arborea, is a species of mid-level rainforest tree in the Composite, or Daisy family Asteraceae, that is found from the Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka, east to the East Indies and New Guinea. This tree, and Brachylaena, are contenders for the tallest of all composite trees ("daisy trees"); plants on Sumatra (formerly distinguished as V. a. var. pilifera; locally called Maremboeng) reaching a height of 36 m (118 ft), and plants from Java (formerly distinguished as V. a. var. javanica; locally called Semboeng Kebo) can be almost as tall, to 34 m (112 ft), and at up to 104 cm (41 in) trunk diameter, is the most massive of all composites. Its leaves contain a useful fungicide. The leaves are alternate, ovate (but often asymmetrical), 8–25 cm long and 3–10 cm broad, with a leathery texture.