This species is very similar to Litsea castanea Hook.f.[].
This species is very close to, and probably only a synonym of Litsea umbellata (Lour.) Merr.. Overall, Litsea firma appears to be the name given to the more robust and taller trees within the total variation of Litsea umbellata, but more work, in particular using molecular data, is needed to determine the relationship between these forms[].

Common Name: Medang

General Information

Litsea firma is an evergreen tree that can grow from 15 - 41 metres tall. The bole can be up to 80cm in diameter with buttresses up to 2.5 metres high[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is used locally and is also traded as 'medang' timber[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonsia, Philippines to New Guinea.

Habitat

An upper canopy tree in undisturbed mixed dipterocarp, keranga and swamp forests; found on alluvial sites as well as dry hillsides and ridges; growing on sandy to clay soils, but also on limestone; at elevations up to 500 metres[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

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 internal construction[].
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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