Common Name:

General Information

Cotylelobium melanoxylon is a tree with a rather small, hemispherical crown that can grow up to 50 metres tall. The bole is frequently twisted with low buttresses[, ]. It can be unbranched for up to 30 metres and up to 160cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its timber.
The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - peninsular Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

A main canopy tree of dry, often sandy, acid soils, especially on coastal hills, but also on rentzinas over limestone and mountain ridges inland to elevations of 1,500 metres[]. Sometimes found in secondary forests[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Endangered
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	40.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist to wet, lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 300 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 34°c, but can tolerate 12 - 38°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,100 - 2,700mm, but tolerates 1,800 - 3,000mm[].
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Prefers dry, often sandy or loamy soils and moist podzols in the wild[]. Prefers a pH in the range 4 - 4.5, tolerating 3.7 - 5[].

Edible Uses

The bark is used locally to prevent frothing in sweet palm juice and to arrest fermentation of toddy and local wine[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The brown to almost black wood is very heavy, hard, close-grained, durable and resists termites and decay[, ]. It is used for general carpentry, house and boat building, piling (also in contact with ground and water), bridges, heavy-duty flooring, turnery, cabinet work and railway sleepers, while less heavy timber is used for furniture, package and pallets etc[, ].
We have no more information on the wood of this species. However, the following is a general description of the wood for members of this genus;-
The heartwood is yellowish when fresh, turning light to deep red-brown upon exposure; it is generally not sharply demarcated from the lighter coloured sapwood. The texture is rather fine and even; the grain straight or shallowly interlocked; not lustrous; there is no distinctive taste or odour when dry. The heartwood, particularly that of the denser species, is rated as durable to very durable; with a good resistance to termites. It is generally reported to air season slowly, but with some warp and checking. Philippine species are reported to dry well with little degrade. The wood is said to be difficult to saw because of clogging due to gummy resins, otherwise it machines well to a smooth finish; turns well; there is some dulling of cutter blades due to silica in the wood. The wood is used for purposes such as turnery, heavy construction, mining timbers, railroad crossties, boat construction; it is also suggested for flooring, interior joinery, and cabinetwork[].

Propagation

Seed -

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