Common Name: Sirpoon

General Information

Calophyllum polyanthum is an evergreen tree growing 7 - 45 metres tall. The bole, which can be up to 160cm in diameter, is without buttresses.
The wood of this tree furnished the poon spars, which were used for masts, spars, and other parts of ships, and good trunks were highly valued, with as much as 2,000 rupees being paid for single trunks in the nineteenth century[]. The wood is still highly valued and is often harvested from the wild.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southwestern China, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam.

Habitat

Usually in colline or lower montane rainforest, at elevations from 200 - 1,800 metres[]. A canopy tree in wet, evergreen forests.

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	30.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the wet, mainly lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,500 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 28 - 33°c, but can tolerate 16 - 38°c[]. It can be killed by temperatures of 4°c or lower[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 4,000 - 6,000mm, but tolerates 2,000 - 8,000mm[].
Grows best in a sunny position, also succeeding in light shade[]. Succeeds in most well-drained soils of at least moderate fertility[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

An oil obtained from the seed is used as an illuminant[].

The wood is used for ship and bridge building, general construction, and furniture making[].

Propagation

Seed -

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