Cnestis palala (Lour.) Merr.

Lianas, scandent shrubs, or small trees, 2–10 m tall. Branchlets gray-black, terete, tomentose when young, gradually glabrescent, longitudinally striate. Leaves odd-pinnate; petiole 2–4 cm; leaflets 5–15-paired at intervals of 0.6–1.8 cm; petiolule ca. 1 mm, tomentose; leaflet blade elliptic to oblong, 2–5 × 0.5–2 cm (proximal ones smaller), abaxially densely grayish tomentose initially, later glabrescent, adaxially glabrous or slightly tomentose, lateral veins 4–8-paired, curved ascending, anastomosing at some distance from margin, base obliquely rounded to subcordate, margin entire, apex obtuse. Inflorescences axillary, paniculate, in fascicles of 4 or 5 or more, slender, 1–3 of them 4–8 cm, the others to 3 cm; rachis and pedicels tomentose; bracts and bracteoles scalelike. Flowers ca. 5 mm in diam. Sepals oblong, 2–3 mm, densely gray tomentose abaxially. Petals ovate-oblong, 3–4 mm, glabrous except for tuft of hairs abaxially above base, apex incurved. Stamens ca. 10, 0.1–1 mm, glabrous. Carpels 5, free, hairy. Follicles yellow or brownish, cylindric, 2–4 × 1–1.5 cm, ferrugineous tomentose, beaked at apex. Seed ca. 2 × 1 cm, base surrounded by black aril.

Hainan [Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].

Sheltered thickets, stream sides; 200--300 m.

Thysanus palala Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 284. 1790; Cnestis ramiflora Griffith.