Common Name:

General Information

Endospermum moluccanum varies in height from a smaller tree of the subcanopy to a large tree in the canopy growing up to 33 metres tall[, ]. The cylindrical bole is up to 60cm in diameter, it is straight and can be unbranched for up to 20 metres[]. It can be with or without buttresses that are up to 140cm tall and extend up to 60cm over the ground[].
The tree is gathered from the wild for its leaves, which are eaten and used medicinally, and for its wood[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Indonesia, to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Habitat

Primary and secondary forest formations, swampy and alluvial forest, disturbed (logged) areas, along rivers and roads, at elevations up to 900 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	20.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant grows in the wild on clay, sandy clay, limestone, gravel and loose volcanic soils[].
The plant can flower and set fruit all year round[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

Young leaves - cooked and used as a vegetable[]. They are mildly laxative[].

Medicinal

The young leaves are mildly laxative, older leaves strongly so[]. They are used as treatment for infections and aches[].

The bark is considered to have anti-fertility properties[].

Other Uses

The very light wood is used to make floats[]. The tree is used for constructing semi-permanent houses[].
We do not have any more information on the wood for this species. However, a general description of the wood for the southeast Asian and Pacific members of this genus is as follows:-
The heartwood is light brown, straw, or pale cream in colour; it is not differentiated from the sapwood. The texture is rather coarse; the grain straight to shallowly interlocked; somewhat lustrous; there is no distinctive odour or taste. The wood is not durable, and is particularly prone to stain and powder-post beetle attack. It dries rapidly with only slight warping and checking, though if tension wood is not discarded the warp is severe. The wood machines easily in both the green and dry condition, though surfaces may be slightly woolly when sawn; it can be peeled for veneer without prior heating. The wood is used for purposes such as joinery, matches, pattermnaking, boxes and crates, furniture components, plywood, light construction, carvings, wooden shoes[].

Propagation

Seed -

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