poor-flower tree

This plant is a tree or shrub up to 10 m (33 ft) tall, with a trunk that rarely exceeds 30 cm (12 in) diameter. It is many-branched, with smooth 4-sided branches. The leaves are up to 7 cm (2.8 in) long by 3 cm (1.2 in) wide, the lateral veins barely visible on upper surface, but make inconspicuous loops or an intramarginal vein quite close to the margin. There are small oil dots visible at low magnification (e.g. with hand lens); stipules are absent, but scars are visible on twigs between petioles that resemble stipular scars. The upper surface of petiole is grooved. The inflorescences are shorter than leaves. The pink/green flowers are quite small with petals about 2 mm (0.08 in) long. There are eight stamens, and the anthers have a long spur at the base, which has a raised gland on the opposite side to filament attachment. The fruit are globose or depressed globose, about 8 mm (0.31 in) long and 9 mm (0.35 in) diameter, with a persistent calyx at the apex. Seeds are globular, about 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long by 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) diameter, each weighing about 130 mg (2.0 gr). The cotyledons are crumpled and folded many times, more or less semiorbicular in the seedling, shortly petiolate and about 16–20 mm (0.63–0.79 in) by 15–30 mm (0.59–1.18 in). The stipules on cotyledons are usually visible, and the hypocotyl is winged. …

This species is native to an area from northern Australia to tropical and subtropical Asia. Countries and regions in which this taxa grows are: Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia); Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia); Vietnam; Zhōngguó/China (Hainan, Guangdong); Laos; Myanmar; Bangladesh; India (Andaman Islands). In Queensland, the tree/shrub occurs from southeastern region to the central- and north-east and Cape York Peninsula. In Western Australia it is found in the northern Kimberley.

In Australia M. pauciflorum grows from near sea level to 400m elevation. It is found as an understory tree in monsoon-, drier or more seasonal rain-, open- and littoral-forests and in woodlands. In the Kimberley, Western Australia, it grows on sandy soils, in sandstone gorges. In China it is found in forests and mountain slopes. A publication of Queensland Herbarium on the broad vegetation groups present in that state of Australia includes a number of communities that include the species. The following table summarises the information.

The possum Petropseudes dahli (rock-haunting possum), uses this tree as a deposit for scent. Ten tree species, rocks and termite mounds were used for scent-marking. The scent is emitted by caudal glands on individuals rumps, cloacal secretions are possibly also involved. The secretion is orange-coloured, molasses-like in texture and has a sweet, musky odour, that humans can smell up to 50m away. In the Kilim Karst Geoforest Park area (Langkawi, Malaysia), the plant grows in association with mangrove forests, it is moderately abundant. It is a host to the following taxa: the pathogenic fungi Botryosphaeria purandharensis and Mycosphaerella multiloculata, and other fungi Acrocordiella occulta, Lecideopsella gelatinosa and Meliolina memecyli.

In the traditional medicine of the Kuuku I’yu (Northern Kaanju) or Kaanichi Pama, the people of the inland highlands of central Cape York Peninsula, northeast Australia, the plant is used to treat skin infections and inflammations. Enzyme inhibitory activity, antiglycation activity and antioxidant activity of the species leaf extract was assessed and found not to be significant. The Karen people of northern and western Thailand use the species in their ethnomedicine. A decoction of the leaves is drunk as treatment for muscle pain.

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