If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Tropical Plants

Litsea philippinensis

Merr.

Lauraceae

+ Synonyms

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Litsea philippinensis is an evergreen tree that can grow 15 - 20 metres tall. The bole can be up to 50cm in diameter[
467
Title
The Philippine Journal of Science. Vol. 4
Publication
 
Author
Freer P.C. (Editor)
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
The Bureau of Science, Philippines.
Year
1909
ISBN
 
Description
A number of articles on Philippine plants, including one on the qualities of Philippine woods.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is mainly used locally and is a popular wood for carving and maing religious icons as well as being a source of 'medang' timber..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

467
Title
The Philippine Journal of Science. Vol. 4
Publication
 
Author
Freer P.C. (Editor)
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
The Bureau of Science, Philippines.
Year
1909
ISBN
 
Description
A number of articles on Philippine plants, including one on the qualities of Philippine woods.

Range

Southeast Asia - Philippines.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height17.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The pale golden-yellow wood is rather fine textured. It is very similar to baticulin (Litsea obtusata), and would certainly be accepted by sculptors to be used like that species for carving and sculpture, especially of sacred images[
721
Title
Commercial Woods of the Philippines; Their Preparation and Uses
Publication
Philippines Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 14
Author
Schneider E.E.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Bureau of Forestry; Manilla.
Year
1916
ISBN
 
Description
A series of booklets dealing with various aspects of the Philippine forests. This volume looks at the preparation and uses of the commercial woods of the Philippines. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
There are a number of tree species (including this one) from southeast Asia that are in the family Lauraceae and produce a useful timber that is either not distinct enough in itself, or is in insufficient supply, to warrant being traded individually. These various species have been lumped together under the trade name ‘medang’[
467
Title
The Philippine Journal of Science. Vol. 4
Publication
 
Author
Freer P.C. (Editor)
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
The Bureau of Science, Philippines.
Year
1909
ISBN
 
Description
A number of articles on Philippine plants, including one on the qualities of Philippine woods.
,
895
Title
Timber Notes - Light Hardwoods II
Publication
Timber Technology Bulletin No. 10
Author
Gan K.S.; Lim S.C.; Choo K.T.
Publisher
Forest Research Institute; Malaysia
Year
1998
ISBN
139-258
Description
Part of an excellent series of publications, this one giving a brief guide to five lesser known groups of light hardwoods from southeast Asia. It is available in PDF format on the Internet.
].
We do not have any more specific information of the wood from this species, but a general description of medang timber is as follows:-
The heartwood is very variable, from light-straw to red-brown and olive brown; the sapwood is ill-defined. The texture is moderately fine but even; the grain interlocked or wavy; the surface dull. The wood is soft to moderately hard, not very durable. It is easy to slightly difficult to resaw, and easy to moderately easy to cross-cut; easy to plane and the surface produced is smooth to moderately smooth. It is suitable for decorative work such as interior finishing, panelling, furniture and cabinet making. It is also suitable for plywood manufacture, whilst the heavier species are suitable for medium construction under cover[
467
Title
The Philippine Journal of Science. Vol. 4
Publication
 
Author
Freer P.C. (Editor)
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
The Bureau of Science, Philippines.
Year
1909
ISBN
 
Description
A number of articles on Philippine plants, including one on the qualities of Philippine woods.
,
895
Title
Timber Notes - Light Hardwoods II
Publication
Timber Technology Bulletin No. 10
Author
Gan K.S.; Lim S.C.; Choo K.T.
Publisher
Forest Research Institute; Malaysia
Year
1998
ISBN
139-258
Description
Part of an excellent series of publications, this one giving a brief guide to five lesser known groups of light hardwoods from southeast Asia. It is available in PDF format on the Internet.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Litsea+philippinensis>

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.