Common Name:

General Information

Gluta wallichii is an evergreen tree with a rather narrow crown; it can grow up to 51 metres tall. The bole can be up to 109cm in diameter, it has buttresses up to 4 metres tall and 1 metre wide[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its timber.

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[].
The fruits are used to make dart poison[].

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

An emergent or canopy tree in undisturbed dry or swampy forests, sometimes in peat swamp forest, rarely on limestone, usually at elevations up to 500 metres, occasionally to 1,000 metres[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

An excellent timber.
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 this tree 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[].

We have no specific description for the wood of this species - the following description is a general one for the timber producing species in this genus.
The heartwood is a deep blood red, darkening on exposure, streaked with bands of darker colour; the sapwood is a light pink brown to almost white, usually rather wide. The texture is rather fine to moderately coarse; the grain straight to irregular; without characteristic odour or taste; mostly without lustre; only moderately durable and not highly resistant to termite attack. The green material is easier to cut than the dry wood; it works well with hand and machine tools and dresses smoothly; takes a high polish; there can be a severe dulling of cutters due to silica content. The wood is used for fine furniture, turnery, cabinetwork, specialty items, decorative veneers, joinery[].

Propagation

Seed -

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