Intsia

views updated

Intsia (family Leguminosae, subfamily Caesalpinoideae) A genus of trees that have pinnate leaves consisting of a few big leaflets. The flowers are showy, with 4 sepals and 1 petal. The pod is big, woody, and flat, with several seeds. The trees yield valuable, hard, heavy timber (merbau). There are 3 species, occurring in Madagascar, and from Malesia to Australia and the Pacific islands.