Durio ceylanicus
Gardner
Malvaceae
Cullenia ceylanica (Gardner) Wight ex K.Schum.
Cullenia excelsa Wight
Common Name:
General Information
Durio ceylanica is a large, evergreen tree with a pyramidal crown; it can grow up to 40 metres tall. The bole is buttressed.
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood.
The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[
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
The large, globose fruit has numerous sharp prickles and, when it falls to the ground, can be rather troublesome for people walking barefoot through the forest[
146- Title
- A Manual of Indian Timbers.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gamble. J. S.
- Publisher
- Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
].
Botanical References
Range
E. Asia - southern India, Sri Lanka.
Habitat
Forests in moist regions, at elevations up to 1,500 metres[
146- Title
- A Manual of Indian Timbers.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gamble. J. S.
- Publisher
- Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
,
464- Title
- A Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon
- Publication
-
- Author
- Trimen H.; continued by Hooker J.D.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Dulau and Co; London.
- Year
- 1898
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Very dated, but still a useful work. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. A canopy tree in medium elevation wet evergreen forests at elevations, between 600 - 1,400 metres.
Properties
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Tree |
| Height | 30.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
A plant of the lowland, moist tropics.
This species closely resembles the durian (Durio zibethinus) in both foliage and structure of the fruit. The fruit of this species, however, is lacking the distinctive smell of the durian and is inedible[
464- Title
- A Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon
- Publication
-
- Author
- Trimen H.; continued by Hooker J.D.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Dulau and Co; London.
- Year
- 1898
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Very dated, but still a useful work. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
The tree has sometimes been used as a rootstock for the durian (Durio zibethinus). Approach grafts are said to induce earlier flowering and produce greater growth than when planted on Durio zibethinus rootstocks[
545- Title
- A Guide on Horticulture.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Sundararaj, J.S. Et al
- Publisher
- K. Perisami, Coimbatore, India
- Year
- 1970
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Page 243 contains an item about grafting durians on to Cullenia rootstocks.
].
The pale, yellowish-brown wood is light in weight; soft to moderately hard; easily split. It is used for cases and cigar boxes[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
146- Title
- A Manual of Indian Timbers.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gamble. J. S.
- Publisher
- Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
,
464- Title
- A Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon
- Publication
-
- Author
- Trimen H.; continued by Hooker J.D.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Dulau and Co; London.
- Year
- 1898
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Very dated, but still a useful work. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
We do not have any more information on the wood of this species. However, a general description of the wood for species in this genus is as follows:-
The heartwood is pink-brown, red, or deep red-brown; it is not always sharply demarcated from the white, pale yellow-brown or light reddish-yellow sapwood. The texture is coarse; the grain straight to interlocked; somewhat lustrous; it is reported to have a foetid odour. The wood is not durable, and not resistant to termite attack; the sapwood is prone to powder-post beetle attack. It dries rapidly, but thin boards may tend to cup. The wood saws easily and generally dresses smoothly; nailing qualities are good. It is used for purposes such as furniture components, veneer and plywood, light construction[
316- Title
- Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chudnoff. Martin.
- Publisher
- USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin.
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
