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Useful Tropical Plants

Alstonia spatulata

Blume

Apocynaceae

+ Synonyms

Alstonia cochinchensis Pierre ex Pit.

Alstonia cuneata Wall. ex G.Don

Common Name:

Alstonia spatulata

General Information

Alstonia spatulata is a tree; it usually grows up to 25 metres tall, though occasionally reaches 30 metres. The bole is at first cylindrical, becoming fluted and shortly buttressed at the base, it is up to 40 cm in diameter, occasionallly to 75cm[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
,
653
Title
Plants of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.asianplant.net/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Excellent site with brief information on the plant, its range, habitat and uses, plus phots of specimens, close-ops of flowers and leaves etc,
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a sourc of medicines, chewing gum, wood, cork and latex.
The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

E. Asia - Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea.

Habitat

A sub-canopy tree, scattered on poorly drained, frequently flooded, clay-rich alluvium and on gley soils on undulating land, particularly near streams, usually at elevations below 300 metres. It is often abundant in secondary or shrub vegetation[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].

Properties

Conservation StatusLeast Concern
Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitTree
Height20.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The latex is used to make a chewing gum[
653
Title
Plants of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.asianplant.net/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Excellent site with brief information on the plant, its range, habitat and uses, plus phots of specimens, close-ops of flowers and leaves etc,
].

Medicinal

An aqueous extract of the bark is used throughout West Sumatra as a natural remedy for diabetes mellitus[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
]. An extract of the pounded bark is an ingredient of febrifuges and vermifuges[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].

The latex is applied to sores and skin diseases[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].

Other Uses

The trunk contains a copious, white latex[
653
Title
Plants of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.asianplant.net/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Excellent site with brief information on the plant, its range, habitat and uses, plus phots of specimens, close-ops of flowers and leaves etc,
]. It is used to make a chewing gum[
653
Title
Plants of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.asianplant.net/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Excellent site with brief information on the plant, its range, habitat and uses, plus phots of specimens, close-ops of flowers and leaves etc,
].

The wood of the roots is used for pith helmets, rafts, rafters for fishery and as a replacement for cork[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].

The wood is used as pulai[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
]. It is used for pencil manufacture, matches, tea chests, crates, plywood, pulp, carpentry and carving[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].
We have no more specific information for this species, but the general description of pulai timber is as follows:-

The heartwood is a cream white to a light yellow; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is medium; grain straight, sometimes irregular or oblique; the aspect slightly lustrous. The wood is light in weight; soft to very soft; not very durable, being susceptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons rapidly with only a slight risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is stable in service. It works well with normal tools, though these should be kept sharp to avoid fuzzy surfaces; filling is recommended in order to obtain a good finish; nailing and screwing are poor; gluing is correct. The wood is suitable for uses such as boxes and crates, interior panelling and joinery, matches, furniture and moulding[
848
Title
Tropix 7
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://tropix.cirad.fr/en
Publisher
CIRAD
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Alstonia+spatulata>

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