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Useful Tropical Plants

Dyera polyphylla

(Miq.) Steenis

Apocynaceae

+ Synonyms

Alstonia polyphylla Miq.

Dyera borneensis Baill.

Dyera lowii Hook.f.

Common Name: Swamp Jelutong

Dyera polyphylla
Growing tree (this could be a closely related, but very similar species)
Photograph by: Icemoon
Creative Commons License

General Information

Swamp jelutong is a large tree that can grow up to 60 metres tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for its timber and latex, which are used locally and also traded.
The risk of extinction of this species, due to over-exploitation, was recognised 60 years ago[
384
Title
Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
Publisher
UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
Year
2007
ISBN
 
Description
A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
]. It is considered 'Endangered' in Sarawak. The current burning of its main habitat, the peat swamp forests, is likely to seriously impact this species[
384
Title
Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
Publisher
UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
Year
2007
ISBN
 
Description
A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

Southeast Asia - Borneo and Sumatra.

Habitat

Restricted to, and scattered in, swamp forest, peat-swamp forest and kerangas on ground water podzols[
384
Title
Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
Publisher
UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
Year
2007
ISBN
 
Description
A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
].

Properties

Conservation StatusEndangered
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitTree
Height50.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details


The plant is often found in the wild in Kerangas forest - a type of moist, heath forest found on acidic, sandy soils that are low in nutrients, especially nitrogen[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
There is some plantation development in Sarawak and Kalimantan. In southern Kalimatan, line plantation of D. Polyphylla by the local population needed thinning two years after planting to provide more light for the planted stumps[
384
Title
Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
Publisher
UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
Year
2007
ISBN
 
Description
A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
].
Tapping of plantation-grown trees may start 30 - 35 years after planting, when trees reach a diameter of about 35 cm[
384
Title
Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
Publisher
UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
Year
2007
ISBN
 
Description
A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A valuable latex can be tapped from this tree[
384
Title
Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
Publisher
UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
Year
2007
ISBN
 
Description
A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
].

The heartwood is creamy white to pale straw coloured with the frequent presence of large latex canals; it is not differentiated from the sapwood. The grain is mostly straight; texture moderately fine and even; slightly lustrous; without taste but with a slight sour odour that is distinctive. The wood is very light in weight; soft; it is not 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. The wood works easily with hand and machine tools, but they need to be kept very sharp in order to obtain a smooth finish; latex in the wood may clog the sawteeth; nailing and screwing are poor; gluing is correct. The wood is excellent for carving and is also used, among other things, for making patterns, pencils, matches, match-boxes, boxes and crates, furniture components, interior joinery and panelling, drawing boards, blockboard and veneer[
386
Title
Forest Stewardship Council.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.fsc.dk/index.php?id=256&PHPSESSID=367043b95e93a891cf96369e9264cd03
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
The site contains information on the properties of some less well-known tropical timbers. The Forest Stewardship Council works actively to protect tropical forests by encouraging sustainable harvesting of the trees.
,
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. 2024-03-29. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Dyera+polyphylla>

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