Rhodoleia subcordata Exell

Evergreen, small to medium-sized trees up to 25(-33) m tall; bole up to 45(-100) cm in diameter; bark surface smooth, with large lenticels and scaly patches, inner bark firm, pink-buff, spotted brown inwards. Leaf buds rounded, scaly. Leaves arranged spirally, simple, entire, with long petioles, leathery, bluish-grey to whitish below; stipules generally present only in the transition zone between bud scales and foliage leaves. Flowers connate, 5-10 together in a large, nodding, peduncled head with an involucre of 12-20 bracts and resembling a single flower, bisexual; sepals connate; petals only well developed and rayed along the outer margin of the head, red; stamens 7-11; disk absent; ovary semi-inferior, (1-)2-locular with many ovules in each cell, styles 2, long and slender. Fruit a 4-valved, woody capsule, basally connate. Seed 10-20 per cell of which 0-1 is fertile. Rhodoleia is the only genus of the subfamily Rhodoleioideae. It used to be thought that it lacked stipules, until it was discovered that these are restricted to certain parts of the plant (see above). R. championi is highly polymorphic and was formerly divided into at least 7 distinct species.

Vegetative growth is flush-wise. In Java flowers have been observed throughout the year, but in Hong Kong flowering seems restricted to February and March. Birds, such as sun-birds, and various kinds of insects (bumble bees, flies, wasps) have been observed to visit the flowers. The flowers produce nectar, starting at daybreak, and have sticky pollen. The fruit takes about 6 months to mature.

R. championi occurs in primary forest or rarely in secondary vegetation

R. championi can be raised from seed. Seeds of R. championi germinate in 10-24 days. Wildlings have been used for reforestation, but mortality was fairly high.

There are about 440 000 dry seeds per kg.

Boundary or barrier or support: In Sumatra it has been planted as a fire-break. Ornamental: R. championi has been planted in Peninsular Malaysia, mountainous parts of West Java and probably also in China for ornamental purposes.

Timber: The wood of R. championi is used for interior finish.