Materials identified by : Ulysses Ferreras (Field Botanist)
Photo specimen : Wild
Specimen height : 2-4 meters
Habitat : Dry thickets and open grasslands
Local name : Amumut
Botanical name : Gymnosporia spinosa var. spinosa
Family : Celastraceae
Traits : Deciduous; Drought tolerant; Grassfire tolerant; Large shrub to small tree; Much-branched; Tolerant of infertile soil
Recommendations : Erosion control; Hedging; Living trellis; Pioneer species for reforestation purposes; Public spaces; Urban greening
Used for : Fuelwood and charcoal
Origin : Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia (including the Philippines), New Guinea and Australia
National conservation status : Not threatened
Possible threats : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use
(Note : Synonymous to Maytenus emarginata)
Further reading :
Reinstatement of Gymnosporia (Celastraceae):
implications for the Flora Malesiana region (Marie Jordaan and A.E. van Wyk) http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/72714/Tel10Jor155.pdf
Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo) (360)