Common Name:

General Information

Madhuca motleyana is a tree growing up to 35 metres tall. The bole can be around 50cm in diameter, sometimes with small buttresses or pneumatophores[, ].
The seeds are harvested from the wild for their edible oil, which is exported to Europe[]. The wood is also exploited commercially, being traded under the name 'Nyatoh'[, ].
Madhuca motleyana has a wide range and is known to occur in protected areas. It is, however, harvested for timber and its habitat is known to be under threat, both factors leading to a decline in the population. Around 18% of the tree cover was lost within its range during the period from 2000 - 2017, and this population decline would most likely be greater if calculated over three generation lengths. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

A common tree in coastal, freshwater and peat swamps, wet and sandstone kerangas forest and mixed
dipterocarp forest; at elevations up to 800 metres[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Near Threatened
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	30.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

An edible oil, known as 'ketiau oil' obtained from the seeds is used for cooking[, ]. It is also used for making margarine, pastries etc[].

Nectar extracted from the flowers is used for sweetening foods and fermenting liquors[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

An inferior gutta-percha is freely obtained from the tree[, ]. It is used as a base for chewing gum[].
Gutta-percha is a natural latex obtained from the sap of the tree. Allowing this fluid to evaporate and coagulate in the sun produces a hard and durable latex which can be made flexible again with hot water, but which does not become brittle. Prior to the advent of synthetic materials, gutta-percha had a wide range of uses - most particularly as an insulating material for electricity wiring and for underwater telegraph wires, a purpose for which it is very well suited since it is bio-inert and so is not attacked by marine plants or animals. Gutta-percha can be moulded into any shape and has been used to make items such as ornate furniture, pistol grips, acid-resistant receptacles and ‘mourning’ jewellery, where its dark colour was an advantage. It has been widely used as the core of golf balls and is still used in modern dentistry where its bio-inertness makes it ideal as a temporary filling for teeth and as a filling material inside tooth fillings[, ].

An oil obtained from the seeds is used for lighting[].
The fat extracted from the seeds is used for making soap and candle wax[].

The reddish-brown wood is coarse and easily worked[]. It is used in house construction and the manufacture of boards[].
We do not have any more specific information on the wood of this species, but it belongs to a group of timbers collectively called 'Nyatoh'[, ]. The general description of nyatoh wood is as follows:-
The heartwood is a dark pink to a red-brown; it is clearly demarcated from the 4 - 9cm wide band of lighter-coloured sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked, sometimes wavy. The wood is light in weight, soft to moderately hard; strong, somewhat durable, being resistant to dry wood borers, moderately resistant to fungi but susceptible to termites. It seasons somewhat slowly, with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is stable in service. There is a very variable content of silica according to the species, but in general the wood has a high blunting effect so stellite-tipped and tungsten-carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct. The wood has a range of applications, including for high class furniture and cabinet making, solid doors, panelling, joinery, parquet flooring, boat decking, light carpentry, turnery, moulding and veneer[, ].

Propagation

Seed -

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