Common Name: Damar Jahat

General Information

Canarium asperum is a mid-canopy tree that can grow from 8 - 37 metres tall. On rare occasions it grows more as a shrub. The bole is up to 80cm in diameter, very rarely with buttresses[, ].
The latex (resin?) is harvested from wild trees and used locally[]. This is one of several species that supplies 'kedondong' timber[].
The tree is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands.

Habitat

Undisturbed mixed dipterocarp forests at elevations up to 600 metres[]. Usually on hillsides and ridges and quite often found near the coast on rocky to sandy soils[]. In secondary forests usually present as a pre-disturbance remnant tree[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	30.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A very variable species, as can be seen from the wealth of synonyms[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A latex obtained from the tree is used to make candles and torches[]. It is a resin[, ]. It can also be used as a caulking material[, ].

The wood is somewhat variable - usually moderately hard, it is sometimes very hard or can be rather soft. It is not very durable[]. It is suitable as a general utility timber for planking, cladding, plywood, flooring, furniture, packing cases, pallets and general carpentry work.
The wood is used for fuel[].

The wood is an important source of kedondong timber, used in house construction[].

Kedondong timber is obtained from several Canarium species. Its general characteristics are as follows:-
The heartwood is generally a light brown; it is not sharply demarcated from the 3 - 5cm wide band of lighter-coloured sapwood. The texture is moderately fine and even; the grain is interlocked to wavy; the surface is lustrous. The wood is light in weight; moderately hard; not very durable, being susceptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons somewhat slowly with only a slight risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; it is moderately easy to slightly difficult to plane; finishes smooth to rough; can be easy to very difficult to bore; slightly difficult to difficult to turn; nailing and screwing properties are good; gluing is correct. The wood is suitable for internal use as a general utility timber for planking, cladding, plywood, flooring, furniture, packing cases, pallets and general carpentry work[, ].

Propagation

Seed - we have no specific information for this species but seeds of this genus generally have a hard seed coat and germinate erratically. Filing away some of the seed coat to allow moisture to enter more readily, without damaging the seed, will encourage a faster and more even germination[].

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