Inhabiting the freshwater riverbanks and flooded wetlands of Southeast Asia, Samadera harmandiana grows as a resilient shrub or small tree.
This species belongs to the Simaroubaceae family and is commonly found in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It plays an interesting ecological role in the riparian communities of the Mekong River basin.
This species typically reaches a height of 5 to 8 meters. The plants feature simple leaves characterized by roughly scattered concave glands situated mostly on the lower surface.
The bisexual flowers are arranged in axillary or terminal inflorescences, forming either peduncled pseudoumbels or racemes. Each flower contains 3 to 5 imbricate, obtuse calyx lobes with a central concave gland, and 3 to 5 contorted petals that are usually hairy underneath.
The large disc is gynophore-like and as high as it is broad, leading to a style with an inconspicuous terminal stigma. The large fruit is dorsoventrally compressed, exhibiting a narrow, sharp-edged margin in the upper half.
March to May
The plant has several localized uses and biochemical features:
The fruits of this species are highly poisonous to humans but are consumed by certain carp-like fish. The following fish species are known to eat the fruit:
The species was named in honor of Julien Herbert Auguste Jules Harmand, a nineteenth-century French clergyman and botanist who specialized in mycology and lichenology.
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