A highly variable species, several forms have been distinguished[].

Common Name: False Coffee Tree

General Information

False coffee tree is a very variable plant; usually a shrub or small to medium-sized tree growing 2 - 16 metres tall, with reports of occasional specimens as tall as 40 metres and sometimes becoming a straggling climbing plant. The bole can be up to 30cm in diameter, it is free of buttresses[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine etc. It has potential for use as a pioneer species when restoring native woodland.

Known Hazards

The bark possesses fine, irritant hairs[].

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Myanmar, Malaysia, Indo-China, Indonesia, Philippines to northern Australia.

Habitat

Light to dense primary but more often secondary forest on swampy to dry soil, along rivers but also on podzolized sands, in savannas and lalang grassland vegetation. A conspicuous element of early secondary forest on waste lands and poor soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	15.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds on poor soils[].
Plants coppice and pollard freely[].

Edible Uses

The leaves are used for sealing stone ovens and for wrapping food[].

Medicinal

A popular remedy in Malaya, where the root is often used as a tonic after fevers[].
A decoction of leaves, bark, roots and flowers is used for medicinal purposes, mainly as a tonic after fever and for pains in the loins, but in the Philippines also as an antidote against snake bites[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Planted as a live fence[].
The plant is a conspicuous element of early secondary forest on wastelands and poor soils[]. This suggests that it has potential for use as a pioneer plant for restoring native woodland[].

Other Uses

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

Wood-tar is used to blacken teeth[].

The wood is used as tembesu, but the timber is often only available in small dimensions. It is used for general construction and combs[].
The wood is used for fuel[].
We have no more information on the wood for this species. However, the following is a general description of the wood for members of this genus:-
The heartwood is yellowish-brown to light brown, darkening upon exposure to a deep golden- or orange-brown; it is not clearly demarcated from the generally lighter coloured sapwood. The texture is variable, from fine to somewhat coarse; the grain is straight to irregular; the wood is lustrous; it has a distinct aromatic and somewhat acid odour when freshly cut, but this does not persist upon seasoning. The heartwood is reported to be very durable in ground contact and very resistant to termite attack; resistance to marine borer attack is questionable. It is reported to season slowly, otherwise it dries with little or no degrade. In Fiji quartersawing is suggested to minimize surface checking. Considering the high density, the wood is easy to saw and machine; it takes a good finish; some species are rather abrasive, however, and dull cutting edges; it is a good carving timber and turns well. The wood is used for purposes such as heavy construction, flooring, turnery, carvings, printing dies, specialty items (such as rulers, T-squares, straight edges), railroad crossties, boat construction[].

Propagation

Seed -

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