Myristica magnifica - Magnificent Nutmeg

Magnificent Nutmeg is a tree, often buttressed, up to 20 m tall, with stilt roots and knee roots. Branchlets are round, stout, rusty velvet-hairy. Sap is red from cut end of bark, profuse. Leaves are simple, alternate, carried on stalks 2-4 cm long, stout, channelled, velvety when young, later hairless. Leaf-blade is 20-60 x10-15 cm, elliptic-oblong, tip pointed with blunt tip or long-pointed, base rounded or flat, margin entire, thickly leathery, glossy above, densely rusty velvety below, later hairless. Midrib is raised above, secondary nerves 12-18 pairs, impressed above. Flowers are unisexual, dioecious, urn-shaped, rusty orange in color. Male flowers are borne in clusters of 10-20 flowers on woody stalks, Female flowers are borne 2 or 3 fascicled in leaf axils. Capsule is 10.5 x 5-7, oblong-ovoid, densely rusty velvety, seed one, cylindrical, covered with bright orange-red lacerated aril. Magnificent Nutmeg is endemic to the Western Ghats.