Common Name:

General Information

Lithocarpus elegans is an evergreen tree that can grow from 5 - 30 metres tall. The bole can be from 20 - 70cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials. It is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is jointly marketed with the wood of various other Quercus and Lithocarpus species under the trade name ‘mempening'[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - southern China, northeast India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia

Habitat

Found on a variety of soils, growing in hill mixed dipterocarp forest to lower montane forest; at elevations up to 1500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Pollinators	Insects, Wind
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Lithocarpus elegans is a plant of the moist tropics, where it is usually found at elevations up to 1,500metres[]. The varous species in this genus usually grow in regions where there can be year-round rainfall, generally disliking dry seasons.
In the wild, Lithocarpus species are mainly found in well-drained soils, often growing on slopes. In cultivation they tend to be tolerant of a range of soil textures and to prefer an acid to neutral pH. Young plants usually grow sucessfully in the shade of woodland, but older trees like a more sunny position.
The plant usually flowers all year round in the southern part of its range[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked[]. Rarely eaten[]. The ovoid or depressed ovoid to subglobose seed is 10 - 23mm long and 10 - 30mm wide with a thin shell[].
The seed (or acorn) is a rich source of carbohydrates and would almost certainly have been eaten by traditional peoples, especially in times of shortage. The main disadvantage is that the seed is also likely to contain bitter-tasting, astringent tannins. Traditionally, these tannins would have been largely removed either by leaching the seeds in water or by baking them. The seeds can be eaten raw but would usually be cooked whole or be dried and ground into a powder that can then be used to make a gruel, or as a thickener in soups and stews, or as an additive to flour for making bread, cakes etc[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The bark of most species is rich in tannins and can be used as a dye and preservative for ropes etc[].

The sapwood is yellowish or brownish. The wood is used locally for purposes such as fence post, mining props, shingles, boat building, and for making tool handles, rice pounder, poles for carts etc[].
The wood makes a good fuel and can be used to make charcoal[].

The wood is also traded in Malaysia under the name mempening. The general description of mempening timber is as follows:-
The heartwood is yellow-brown, red-brown or dark red-brown; it is not always clearly demarcated from the lighter-coloured sapwood. The texture is rather coarse and uneven; the grain fairly straight but sometimes interlocked; there is a true oak-line silver figure prominent on the radial surface. The wood is strong to very strong; hard to very hard; moderately heavy to heavy; moderately durable under exposed conditions and very difficult to treat. It seasons fairly slowly, without any defects except for some staining, slight bowing and end-checking; shrinkage is high. It is easy to saw when green, but slightly difficult to work when dried; planing is easy and the planed surface is smooth; turned wood has a rough surface when finished. Nailing properties are poor.
A medium hardwood, it is suitable for medium to heavy construction under cover and with protection from termite attacks; when well seasoned it can be used for furniture making, interior finishing, panelling, parquet flooring, decorative veneers etc[].

Propagation

Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool, but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees[]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly.

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