Common Name: Rengas

General Information

Rengas is a tree growing up to 50 metres tall. The bole can be 115cm in diameter, and is sometimes buttressed when old[].
The edible seed is gathered from the wild for local use, and the timber is also used.

Known Hazards

Brief contact with the plant can cause allergies and chemical irritation of the skin[].
The sap can cause dermatitis[]. A resinous exudate from the wood can cause severe skin irritation[].
The smoke of the burning wood can cause severe irritation, particularly to the eyes[].

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

A riverside tree of tidal freshwater reaches[]. Chiefly found in coastal regions, in peat swamps, occasionally inundated areas, gregarious along river banks, usually at low elevations, sometimes in inland forests up to 800 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	40.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Seed - roasted[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The reddish-brown wood is not very hard, very strong, fairly light, durable and easy to split[, ]. It has splendid markings and is used for furniture, building material for houses, canoes, fancy articles and inlay work[, ].
A resinous exudate from the wood can cause severe skin irritation[]. The poisonous constituent of the resinous sap is volatile and will gradually disappear. For this reason, the timber of rengas trees must be dried and exposed for several years as it is otherwise dangerous to handle. Lacquered articles or furniture made from the dried timber may still be toxic to persons who are especially susceptible[].

Propagation

Seed -

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