Common Name: Gubas

General Information

Gubas is a medium-sized to fairly large tree, generally growing up to 35 metres tall with occasional specimens to 50 metres[, ]. The bole can be 16 - 90cm in diameter and branchless for up to 29 metres[, ]. It can be with or without buttresses that can be up to 3 metres tall and extend outwards for 2 metres[].
The edible seed is gathered from the wild for local use[]. The tree is an important source of the timber 'sesendok' and is commonly harvested from the wild, mainly for commercial use[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

Fairly common in forests in humid localities, along rivers, on hillsides[]. Primary (mixed dipterocarp) forest, secondary forest, and disturbed areas; along streams and roads, on hills, ridges and steep valley slopes at elevations up to 640 metres[]

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	30.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A tree of the humid tropics, found at elevations up to 1,000 metres[].
The plant is found on sandy, sandstone, loam soil on limestone, silty clay loam, alluvium and periodically inundated soils in the wild[].
Natural regeneration is abundant 2 - 3 months after logging along with other secondary species. Approximately 35% of the seedlings survive after 6 months[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

The seeds are reported to be edible[].

An edible oil is obtained from the seed[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is used in reforestation projects[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is creamy white to bright yellow; it is not demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is coarse; the grain straight or interlocked, sometimes wavy; the surface lustrous. The wood is very soft; very light in weight; not durable, being susceptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons quickly, with only a slight risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is stable in service. The wood works well with ordinary tools, though the presence of tension wood can cause overheating and blunting of sawblades; there is a risk of woolly surfaces so tools need to be kept sharp; nailing and screwing are poor; gluing is correct. It is an important source of the timber sesendok and is one of the favourite timbers for clogs, pattern making, trays, furniture parts, plywood chests, low grade coffins, disposable chop-sticks and other small articles; and is also used for matchboxes, match splints, drawing boards, black boards and toys[, , ]. Spiral shavings of the wood are used as core material in the manufacture of a panel locally known in the Philippines as 'placarol' because of their resistance to compression perpendicular to the direction of the spiral[]

Propagation

Seed - the fruits are soaked in water for 24 hours and then macerated to separate the seeds[]. These are sun dried for 2 - 3 days. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked in water overnight. The seeds are broadcast in raised seed-beds[]. The highest germination rate (80%) was obtained when using a 1 : 3 mixture of sand and organic topsoil[]. After sowing, the seeds are covered with about 2 cm of soil, and the seed-bed is mulched with dry grass, and subsequently watered[]. Usually the seeds start to germinate after about 24 days[]. Seedlings are potted when they have 2 - 4 leaves (about 20 days after germination) in a sterilized mixture of 50% organic topsoil and 50% sandy loam[]. Only vigorous seedlings of 20 - 30 cm tall should be planted into the field[]
The seeds can be stored in polyethylene bags at a temperature of 15.5°c[]. If stored for more than one month, the seeds become dormant and can only be used for sowing in the next season[]. Seeds buried 30 cm deep retain their viability for more than 9 months[].

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