Common Name: Terap

General Information

Terap is an evergreen tree growing up to 45 metres tall, with reports that it can reach 65 metres. The straight bole can be free of branches for up to 30 metres, it is up to 125cm in diameter with prominent buttresses up to 300cm high when old[, ]. The plant has extraordinarily large leaves on juvenile trees that can be over 1 metre long[]. It can be deciduous when growing in areas with a short dry season[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for a number of local uses, including its edible fruit and seed, a latex, fibre and timber. It is cultivated in Java, Kalimantan and Malaysia in regions with short dry seasons[]. The wood is a source of 'terap' timber and is traded[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

Evergreen forests, usually at elevations up to 300 metres, but occasionally to 1,350 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	45.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the humid tropics[]. It is tolerant of a short dry season[].
Prefers a deep, well-drained soil[]. Young plants need some shade, but need increasing light levels as they mature[].

Edible Uses

The sweet white pulp of the fruit is eaten[, , ]. The ripe fruit has a nauseatingly rancid smell[, ]. The fruits are of an unpleasant smell, but are sweet with a savoury taste[].

Ripe seeds - roasted and eaten[, , , ].

Source of a latex that is used as a chewing gum base[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The fibrous bark is tough and strips readily into big sheets. It is used for making clothing, lining baskets and bins, for house walls and for string[, ]. The bark is sometimes used to make tapa cloth[] - strips of the prepared bark are beaten with wooden mallets on a smooth, wooden surface - as they are beaten, they gradually spread out and become thinner until a good quality cloth is formed.

The large leaves are used as thatch, to make partitions in long houses, and for temporary field huts[].

The oil obtained from the seeds is used to make a hair oil[].

The light-yellow to brown wood is soft, durable, coarse-grained and of variable quality[]. It is attacked by termites[]. It is used for boards, posts of houses, boats and general carpentry[].
The wood belongs to a group of timbers known as terap. The general description of this wood is:-
The heartwood is yellow to pale brown; it is usually not differentiated from the sapwood. The texture is moderately coarse to coarse and even; the grain is interlocked. The wood is non-durable under tropical conditions. It seasons fairly slowly, with high shrinkage and slight bowing, cupping and checking. It is generally easy to work; saws well; planes easily but leaves a rough finish on radial surfaces; bores and turns easily, but leaves a rough finish;nailing property is good; can be peeled satisfactorily and is suitable for plywood production. Locally, the wood is used for light construction, for making boxes, crates, wooden pallets and veneer. The wood is sometimes nicely figured and therefore is suitable for decorative purposes like furniture, joinery and panelling[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[]. The seed germinates best at a temperature of 24 - 27c[].
Root cuttings.
Air layering.

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