Common Name:

General Information

Payena leerii is a tree growing up to 40 metres tall. The bole can be around 80cm in diameter with low, spreading buttresses[, , ].
The plant is the source of a good quality gutta-percha and timber, and is also harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is cultivated on a very small scale in the Philippines for the gutta-percha[]. The wood is traded uner the name 'Bitis'[]
Payena leerii has a large range and is known from protected areas. There is, however, a projected continuing decline in the quality of habitat, causing a suspected population decline. Almost 18% of the tree cover in its range has been lost within the period of 2000 - 2017; most collections of the species have been made at low elevations which gives a higher level of risk; and the species is known to be used both as timber and for gutta percha. The tree cover loss and population decline would most likely be much greater if calculated over three generation lengths (60-150 years) and are likely close to the limit for Vulnerable. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southeast Asia - Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

Mainly found at low elevations, growing in coastal forests, mixed swamp forests and Kerangas forests[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland moist tropics.
Species in this genus will generally grow in a variety of soils.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[, ]. A sweet flavour[]. The conical fruit is a dryish berry 25 - 50mm x 10 - 25mm with a thin, fleshy pericarp and a single, large seed[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A gutta-percha of good quality is obtained from the plant[, ].
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[, ].

The wood is used for house building[].
We do not have any more specific information on the wood of this species, but it belongs to a group of timbers collectively called 'Bitis'[]. The general description of bitis wood is as follows:-
The heartwood is red-brown to purple- or chocolate-red-brown; it is sharply demarcated from the yellow-brown to purple-grey-brown sapwood. The texture is moderately fine and even, with straight or shallowly interlocked grain. The wood is strong, heavy and durable. It is very difficult to treat with preservatives.
It is slightly difficult to difficult to resaw, easy to slightly difficult to crosscut. Planing is slightly difficult but the planed surface is smooth. Nailing property is rated as poor. The timber seasons slowly with moderate end-checking, splitting and surface-checking as the major sources of defects. Shrinkage is high. The timber is likely to be fairly difficult to dry. The wood is suitable for all forms of heavy construction, bridges, wharves, piers, piling, posts, railway sleepers, parquet flooring and heavy flooring.
Bitis is essentially a Peninsular Malaysian name. In Sabah and Sarawak, the timber is not differentiated from the lighter species of Madhuca and Palaquium, and they are all sold together as nyatoh.

Propagation

Seed -

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