Cleidion nitidum (Müll.Arg.) Kurz in J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 42(2): 245. 1873; Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 5: 444. 1887. Mallotus nitidus Müll.Arg. in DC., Prodr. 15(2): 979. 1866.

Shrubs or trees, 3 - 10 m tall, entirely glabrous. Leaves ovate, elliptic, oblong-elliptic to obovate, cuneate, acute or rounded at base, distantly repand-denticulate or crenate along upper margins, acute to bluntly acuminate at apex, (4 -) 7 - 16 (- 22) x (1 -) 3 - 9 cm, thinly coriaceous, glossy, lateral nerves 5 - 8 (- 11) pairs; petioles 0.3 - 3.5 cm long; stipules ovatetriangular, up to 2 mm long, caducous. Male inflorescences axillary, glomerate-spicate, 10 - 36 cm long, simple or often few-branched towards base; flowers sessile; bracts ovate-triangular, acute, ca 1 mm long; calyx as in C. javanicum; stamens 75 - 80; filaments ca 1 mm long; anthers ca 1 mm across. Female flowers: axillary, solitary or sometimes paired or fasciculate-racemose, up to 8 cm long on 4 - 5 cm long peduncles; pedicels 1 - 5 cm long; sepals 4, ovate or triangular, 1.5 - 2.5 x 1 - 2 mm; ovary globose, 2 - 4 mm in diam., 2 or 3-loculed, fulvous tomentose; styles 3, connate at base into 1 - 2 mm long column, deeply bifid above. Capsules globose, somewhat depressed, mostly tridymous, up to 1.5 cm across; fruiting pedicels (2 -) 4 - 8 cm long; seeds subglobose, 6 - 8 mm across, smooth, white, variegated with brown patches.

Fl. & Fr. April - Dec.

Distrib. India: Tropical semi-deciduous or mixed forests, at low altitudes (up to 1450 m in Sri Lanka), often forming small patches where there is little undergrowth, rare in evergreen forests. Shows disjunct distribution in Tamil Nadu and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Sri Lanka.