Boton

Description:

Botong is a tree growing to a height of 8 to 15 meters. Leaves are large, obovate or obovate-oblong, 20 to 40 centimeters long, entire, thick, shining, stalkless, blunt-tipped, and pointed at the base. Flowers are very large and white, borne in short, erect, few-flavored racemes. Calyx-tube is about 1 centimeter long; the lobes, 2 or 3, are oblong-ovate, concave, green and about 2.5 centimeter long. Petals are deciduous, four, thin, first white and then brownish, oblong, 7 to 8 centimeters long, and 3 to 4 centimeters wide. Stamens are very numerous, slender and united at the base, 10 to 12 centimeters long, white below, and shading to purple above. Anthers are small and yellow. Fruit has a typical tetragonal lantern shape, 8 to 14 centimeters long and 8 to 12 centimeters thick, containing one large seed. - http://www.stuartxchange.org/Botong

Habitat:

Within the Tagaytay Ridge area at about 2,000 feet (600 metres) above sea level, on the northern flank of Mount Taal.