Suriana maritima
English: Bay cedar.
Region: worldwide.
Habitat: coastal areas of the tropics; coral reefs and sandy soil; seashores above the high-water mark; landward side of Avicennia mangroves; sunny position; tolerant of saline soil, high surface heat, drought, strong, salt-laden winds.
Content: triterpenoid diol, surianol, beta-sitosterol; flavonoids rutin, rhamnetin; flavonol glycoside rhamnetin-3-rutinoside; sterols, terpenes and phenols.
Use: medicine; wood for small articles; stabilize sand dunes and beaches; ornamental, for hedges and screens.
Botany
Spreading, much-branched, evergreen shrub; 3 metres tall; moderate rate of growth.
Stem heartwood is dark red to reddish-brown; sapwood is somewhat lighter; wood is fine-textured, very hard, heavy, strong, durable, polishes well.
Flowers: blooming intermittently.
Dispersion: by sea.