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coastal hill forest

Delek air Memecylon edule var. ovatum Family Melastomataceae

A few of these marvelous trees grow on the rocks right over the shore of Chek Jawa. Delek air produces showy clusters of tiny purple flowers (about 1cm each). The trees bloom once or twice a year, and are then indeed a beautiful sight. As the flower petals are shed, the sand and rocks below are dusted in mauve. The fruits are small (about 1cm) and are green, turning red then black as they ripen. The tree has a thin bark, so it is sometimes also called 'Nipis kulit' or 'thin-skinned' in Malay.

Delek air belongs to the same family as the more familiar Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum).

Human uses: This tree is not only beautiful, but also useful. It provides hard timber used for building houses and boats. A yellow dye can be extracted from the leaves and the bark is used to treat bruises.

Status and threats: Although a common seashore tree in the past, Delek air is now rare as their habitats are lost.

Flowers

Fruits

Leaves

quick facts
To about 18m tall, grows on the rocks right on the shore

Links
Memecylon ovatum, a sample record rom the PROSEA Handbook on CD-ROM: brief fact sheet
Ironwood tree on the Sarasvati Sindhu page of Hindunet: list of medicinal uses of Delek air
Melastomatacea on the Madison Plant Systematics Collection page of the University of Wisconsin: brief technical fact sheet about the family in general.

Other references

Corners, E. J. H., 1997. Wayside Trees of Malaya: in two volumes. Fourth edition, Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur. Volume 1: 1-476 pp, plates 1-38; volume 2: 477-861 pp., plates 139-236.

a companion website to the chek jawa guidebook website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com

a companion website to the chek jawa guidebook
website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com