This species is very similar to Litsea firma (Blume) Hook.f.[].

Common Name:

General Information

Litsea castanea is an evergreen tree that can grow around 6 - 41 metres tall. The bole can be up around 10 - 87cm in diameter with buttresses up to 100m high[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is used locally and is also traded as 'medang' timber[].
Litsea castanea has a wide range and is known from at least five protected areas. Although there is a decline in the area of occupancy and extent of occurrence, as well as a loss of quality of habitat, these threats are more on a local leve, whilst on a global level the species is not considered to be threatened. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2020)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southeast Asia - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

An upper canopy tree in undisturbed mixed dipterocarp, keranga and sub-montane forests; usually on ridges with sandy soils, but also found on limestone; at elevations up to 1,900 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	35.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The inner bark has a pungent smell[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is used for planks and construction[]. The sapwood is pale yellow[].
There are a number of tree species (including this one) from Peninsular Malaysia that are in the family Lauraceae and produce a useful timber that is either not distinct enough in itself, or is in insufficient supply, to warrant being traded individually. These various species have been lumped together under the trade name ‘medang’[].
We do not have a specific description of the wood from this species, but a general description of medang timber is as follows:-
The heartwood is very variable, from light-straw to red-brown and olive brown; the sapwood is ill-defined. The texture is moderately fine but even; the grain interlocked or wavy; the surface dull. The wood is not durable. It is easy to slightly difficult to resaw, and easy to moderately easy to cross-cut; easy to plane and the surface produced is smooth to moderately smooth. It is suitable for decorative work such as interior finishing, panelling, furniture and cabinet making. It is also suitable for plywood manufacture, whilst the heavier species are suitable for medium construction under cover[]

Propagation

Seed -

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