This name is not universally accepted, with some authorities (including the Kew 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families' maintaining the name Adina cordifolia (Roxb.) Brandis[].

Common Name:

General Information

Haldina cordifolia is a deciduous tree with a large crown; generaly growing from 18 - 30 metres tall, specimens up to 45 metres have been recorded. The long, straight, clean bole cam be up to 150cm in diameter and is often buttressed and fluted at the base[, ]. The buttresses are sometimes of irregular and fantastic shapes[]. When growing in more isolated positions it produces a thick bole and massive branches with a large spreading crown[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for its useful timber, which is usually only traded locally because it is only available in small quantities. It is also harvested for local medicinal use and is cultivated for this use in Sri Lanka[].

Known Hazards

The sawdust sometimes has an irritant effect upon woodworkers[].

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - China, India, Sri Lanka, Assam, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia.

Habitat

Rainforests at elevations from 300 - 1,000 metres in China[]. Scattered in mixed deciduous forests in India[]. Usually growing along rivers or transitional areas between swampy wetlands and dry loamy areas, which are flooded for short periods[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	25.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 25 - 35°c, but can tolerate 5 - 47°c[]. It can be killed by temperatures of -1°c or lower[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 800 - 4,500mm[].
Young trees prefer a position in light to moderate shade, but become more light-demanding as they grow older[]. Succeeds in most soils, growing best in deep, fairly fertile conditions[]. Prefers a moist but well-drained soil[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7.5[]. The tree has a massive root system in proportion to its size, which makes it very resistant to drought[].
Trees can be coppiced[].
Trees are not resistant to forest fires[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark is antiseptic and febrifuge[].

The juice of the plant is applied externally to kill worms in sores[].

An infusion of the roots is used in the treatment of diarrhoea and dysentery[].

Other Uses

The bark contains 7 - 9% tannins[].

The heartwood is yellow to yellow-white when fresh, turning pale-yellow or reddish-brown when exposed; it can be clearly or not clearly demarcated from the very wide band of yellow-white sapwood. The texture is fine and even; the grain fairly straight, though occasionally interlocked or spiralled; the surface is lustrous. The wood is moderately heavy, moderately hard, moderately durable with some resistance to fungal attack. It seasons normally, with only a slight risk of distortion, but a high risk of checking; once dry it is moderately stable in service. It is easy to work by hand and with machine tools, though it should be planed with care to avoid picking single fibres up; it polishes well and takes a high lustrous finish; nailing and screwing are good; gluing is correct. The wood is valued for making small items such as combs and for turnery, it is also used for construction, window frames, furniture, bobbins, boxes, piano keys, rulers etc[, , 404. 652, ]. The wood is reported to be acid-resistant, making it suitable for use as laboratory bench tops etc[].

Propagation

Seed - it is very small and so should only just be covered with soil. The seed is best sown in a seed-box that is placed in light shade and protected from heavy rain. Water frequently but carefully with a very fine spray. Germination ordinarily takes place in about 20 - 40 days. As soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, that is, in about two to three months, they should be pricked out about 5cm apart in boxes ; the more vigorous ones may even be pricked out about 10cm apart in nursery-beds[]. The seedlings will be ready to plant out in the forest early the following rains. Transplanting is not unattended with risk owing to the liability of the seedlings to die of drought ; care is therefore necessary to keep a ball of earth round the roots. Risk is further avoided by pricking out the plants into baskets or bamboo tubes instead of into boxes or nursery-beds, so that there is no interference with the roots during transplanting[]. Young seedlings grow very slowly in their first year, reaching a height of only 25 - 150mm. And are very susceptible to being washed away or beaten down with rain at this time[]. Growth is faster in the second year, with plants reaching heights of 30 - 60cm or more[]. Plants develop a thin but long tap root in their first year, this thickens and develops considerably in the second year[].
The seed can be stored for at least 12 months[].

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