We have included Canarium samoense here as a synonym of this species, though it is treated as distinct in some works[].

Common Name:

General Information

Canarium vitiense is a slender or spreading shrub or tree; it can grow from 7 - 30 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be unbranched for about half its height; it is up to 1.5 metres in diameter, usually without buttresses[, , ].
This species is considered a commercially important timber tree and is also used locally[]. The seeds are occasionally gathered from the wild for local use[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Northern Australia, New Guinea to Fiji, Tonga and Samoa in the Pacific.

Habitat

A canopy or subcanopy tree of dense or dry forest or thickets at elevations from near sea level to 1,000 metres[]. Usually grows in well developed lowland rain forest[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	25.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant can flower and fruit all year round[].
A variable species that used to be considered five distinct species[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Seeds[]. Occasionally eaten[].

The fruit is edible[]. The fruit is up to 3cm long[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A fragrant gum obtained from the tree is used to perfume coconut oil[].
The tree produces a damar-like resin[].
Dammar is a hard resin, obtained from various trees of Southeast Asia. Traditionally, it is used for purposes such as caulking boats and baskets, as an adhesive, a medicine, as a fuel for torches and sometimes in foods. Dammar has many commercial applications, though many of these uses are less important nowadays due to the advent of synthetic materials. Commercially, it is an ingredient of inks, lacquers, oil paints, varnishes etc, and is used as a glazing agent in foods[].
Harvesting of the resin commences when the bole is around 25cm in diameter (approx 20 years old). Triangular cuts (becoming circular with age) are arranged in vertical rows around the trunk. The cuts are several centimetres wide at first, but become enlarged at every tapping and eventually become holes of 15 - 20cm in depth and width. The average number of holes for a tree about 30 metres tall and 60 - 80cm in diameter is 9 - 11 in each of 4 - 5 vertical rows. For the higher holes, the tapper climbs the tree supported by a rattan belt and using the lower holes as footholds.
The exuded resin is allowed to dry on the tree before it is collected. The frequency with which the tree is visited to refreshen the cut varies from once a week to once a month, depending on how far the tree is from the village. Tapping can continue for 30 years[].

An important hardwood timber, it is used locally in house construction[, ]. The trunks are used to make canoes[].

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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