Pterospermum acerifolium (L.) Willd.

Planted as a roadside tree or garden ornamental. The indumerrtum from the lower side of leaf is said to be used to prevent bleeding from wounds and as tinder. A good tonic is prepared from the flowers which is also a cure for inflammation, ulcers, tumours, blood troubles and leprosy. The bark and leaves are used in small pox. The flowers kept among cloths impart a pleasant perfume and keep away insects.

Pterospermum acerifolium is grown as an ornamental.

A large tree, up to 30 m tall, with grey bark and rusty pubescent young parts. Leaves oblong, broadly obovate to ovate, orbicular or rectangular, 10-40 cm long, 8-35 cm broad, cordate, often peltate, margin wavy to distantly coarse toothed or irregularly lobed; silvery to rusty pubescent beneath, glabrescent and dark green above; petiole 5-15 cm long, densely tomentose at the base; stipules pinnatifid, caducous. Flowers mostly solitary, 10-15 cm long and across, white, fragrant; pedicel c. 2 cm long; bracts laciniate. Sepals linear-lanceolate, united at the base into short tube, 8-12 cm long, c. 1 cm broad, obtuse, rusty pubescent outside, thick, reflexed, deciduous. Petals linear-oblong or obovate, 6-12 cm long, c. 1 cm broad, reflexed, obtuse. Fertile stamens 5-9 cm long, staminodes equalling the petals; anthers 1-1.5 cm long. Carpels 5; ovary oblong, pentagonal, 5-loculed, densely rusty tomentose. Capsule 5-10 cm long, 5-valved, rusty brown-glabrescent. Seeds compressed, obliquely oval, wings brown, membranous.

Big trees; bark smooth. Branchlets densely velutinous when young. Stipules linear; petiole robust, striate; leaf blade nearly orbicular or oblong, sometimes ± lobed, 24-34 × 14-29 cm, leathery, abaxially densely yellowish and gray stellate velutinous, adaxially sparsely hairy or glabrous, base cordate, margin entire or crenate, apex truncate, nearly rounded, or pointed; juvenile leaves palmately lobed, peltate. Flowers solitary, fragrant; epicalyx lobes fimbriate or palmately divided. Sepals linear-oblong, ca. 9 × 0.7 cm, abaxially densely yellow-brown stellate velutinous, adaxially white villous. Petals white, linear-oblong, slightly cuneate, slightly shorter than sepals, glabrous. Staminodes clavate, hairy. Ovary oblong, 5-angular; ovules many per locule. Capsule woody, cylindrical, stipitate, obscurely 5-grooved, 10-15 × 5-5.5 cm, reddish brown velutinous, glabrescent, base tapering, apex rounded. Seeds many per locule, obliquely ovate, flat, wing large and thin, brown, smooth.

Himalaya (Punjab to Bhutan), India.

Distribution: Probably a native of North East India; Bangla Desh (Chittagong), Burma and Malayasia; cultivated in Pakistan and N. America.

S Yunnan [Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand].

450-600 m

Fl.Per.: December July.

Forested slopes; 1200-1700 m.