Appearance & recognition
Swamp pulai can form a tall canopy tree, with buttresses and roots that rise above wet ground. The spoon-shaped leaves stand in whorls of four to six, rather than in the opposite pairs of many mangroves. White flowers develop into long, slender paired fruits; the small seeds carry hairs. These features help distinguish a living Alstonia from other pale-latexed forest trees.
Sources & references · 1
National Parks Board Singapore · Alstonia pneumatophora — Flora & Fauna WebRange & habitat
The species grows in swampy freshwater landscapes in western Malesia, including Borneo. Above-ground roots are an important part of its appearance in poorly aerated soils. Freshwater swamp is different from a saline tidal mangrove: finding water around a tree does not identify its habitat by itself. Swamp jelutung provides another example of an Apocynaceae tree associated with wet forest.
