OctomelesMiquel FAW (1861) Flora van Nederlandsch Indië, Eerste bijvoegsel. C.G. van der Post, Amsterdam. Vol. 2: 151–336 is a monotypic genus of plant in family Tetramelaceae. The sole species is Octomeles sumatrana,TPL: Octomeles sumatrana Miq. (6 February 2018)Tropicos: O. sumatrana Miq. (6 February 2018) sometimes written O. sumatranum.GBIF: Octomeles sumatranum Miq. (6 February 2018)
Octomeles sumatrana, commonly called Benuang, or Ilimo, is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands. It and Tetrameles nudiflora are the only two species in the family Tetramelaceae. They were previously classified in the Datiscaceae but found genetically not to form a natural clade with the other members of that family.
Description The tree is dioecious and large, reaching up to in height and up to diameter above the buttresses. A pioneer species, it regenerates quickly in disturbed habitats such as logged forest and previously cultivated land. It has been known to grow as much as in height and up to diameter at breast height (DBH) in just four years.Whitmore, Trop. Rainforests Far East op. cit. p. 86. Also, like other pioneer species, it is relatively short lived; even the emergent titans rarely exceeding 85 years of age.Whitmore, op. cit. p. 73. It also has noteworthy buttresses; up to high by up to in length. On Bougainville the buttresses take a different form; higher and narrower, up to in height while only length.
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