A highly variable species, some botanist do not agree with the broad concept of the species and split off two other forms as distinct species viz:-
F. gigantea - a large canopy tree with more regularly fissured bark and leaves that have an undulating margin and only 5 - 6 instead of around 8 pairs of secondary veins[].
F. wallichiana - with broader leaves, larger flowers and larger more ellipsoid fruits[].

Common Name: Ironwood

General Information

Ironwood is a slow-growing, medium-sized or occasionally large, evergreen tree with a conical crown; usually growing 8 - 25 metres tall but with some specimens attaining a height of 55 metres and the plant sometimes being no more than a shrub. The straight, cylindrical bole can be up to 150cm in diameter and is occasionally fluted or with buttresses up to 2.5 metres high[, , , ]
The tree yields a high quality timber and an excellent fuel and charcoal. It is planted in reforestation and soil stabilization programmes and is also often planted as an ornamental and shade tree in parks and along roads[].

Known Hazards

Skin rashes may develop when handling green logs with bark on[].

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Indo-China, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea.

Habitat

Light primary and secondary forest in humid or seasonally inundated locations, avoiding stagnant water. In freshwater-swamp forest, found in association with Melaleuca spp. Also occurs naturally as a pioneer in burnt-over areas and lalang grassland[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the wet, lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 400 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 30°c, but can tolerate 10 - 36°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,000 - 3,000mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 4,000mm[].
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Thrives in well-drained to swampy, periodically inundated habitats, occasionally even on permanently inundated localities, often along rivers or creeks[]. It can succeed on poor or degraded soils so long as they are well-drained, and even in lalang (Imperata cylindrica) grasslands, where it suppresses this noxious grass[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6, tolerating 4.5 - 6.5[]. Established plants are moderately drought tolerant[].
Considered a useful plantation species, as it is adaptable and hardy[].
The corky bark gives it some resistance to fire - an 8-year-old plantation in alang alang grassland suffered no damage from a passing fire[].
The lower branches are very persistent and pruning these promotes height growth[].
Trees coppice freely; locally, trees may often be pollarded for poles[].
Large trees are frequently hollow[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A decoction of the bark is used as a febrifuge to treat conditions such as malaria[, , ].

A decoction of twigs and leaves is used to control dysentery and severe diarrhoea[, ].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is used for reforestation purposes, at least partly due to its ability to suppress the dense cover of weeds, including Imperata cylindrica and Gleichenia linearis[, ].
It is planted in some regions to control soil erosion[].
It occurs naturally as a pioneer in burnt-over areas and poor sites such as alang alang (Imperata cylindrica) grassland[, ].

Other Uses

The latex found under the skin of the fruits is often used as an adhesive[].

The heartwood is light yellowish brown, the sapwood light yellow with an unpleasant smell[]. The wood is medium weight, hard and very durable[, , ]. This species is the main source of tembesu timber, considered to yield a first-class turnery timber[]. The nailing properties are good. The wood can be peeled into 1.5 mm thick veneer at a 90° peeling angle without pre-treatment with good results[]. This valuable and durable timber is used both as sawn wood as well as roundwood for posts and piles in the construction of houses, bridges and ships, and for railway sleepers, posts for electric and telephone lines, barrels, chopping blocks, furniture, cabinet work, door and windows sills and wood carvings[].
The wood yields a very high-quality fuel wood and charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - it has quite a long viability. When sown fresh it has a viability of 65 - 80% and germinates in 15 - 60 days or more[]. The very fine seed should be mixed with fine sand and sown under light shade[]. It needs protection from ants[]. Watering should be done by spraying gently so as not to disturb the seed[]. The seedlings can be transplanted to open nursery beds or containers after 2 months, when 5 - 7 cm tall, and they can be planted out in the field when 30 - 45 cm high with adhering soil clump[].
The seed has an initial viability of 80%, which reduces to 65% after being stored for 3 months in air-tight containers[].
Seeds can be stored for 6 months, but they lose their viability very soon when kept inside the fruit[]. The fruit should be macerated by hand to extract the seeds, which should then be washed and dried[]. Allowing the seed to ripen for 1 month after collection is reported, but immediate sowing also gives good results[]. The whole berry can also be sown, but then seedlings do not appear until after 6 weeks[].
Root suckers are an easy method of propagation[].
Cuttings with several internodes taken from the branches of mature trees failed to root, but when taken from coppice shoots they rooted successfully[].

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