Common Name:

General Information

Litsea garciae is an evergreen tree growing up to 26 metres tall. The bole can be 60cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild mainly for its edible fruit, which is generally well appreciated. It is sometimes cultivated for this fruit, especially in Indonesia, where in places it is one of the most commonly grown fruit trees[, ].
Litsea garciae has a wide range and is known from many protected areas. Although on a local level there is a decline in the area of occupancy and extent of occurrence, as well as a loss of quality of habitat, this is not considered to be sufficient to be a threat on a global scale. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Taiwan, Philippines, Borneo, Java and Sumatra.

Habitat

A sub-canopy tree growing in evergreen, broadleaved forests[, ]. Found on disturbed, open sites in mixed dipterocarp forests at elevations up to 200 metres[]. Often along rivers or on hillsides with sandy to clay soils[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Found in dappled shade in the wild, though it can grow in brighter conditions if it is kept well watered.
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, ]. A creamy, white flesh that is similar to an avocado (Persea americana) but softer with a more delicate flavour[]. The thin, bright pink skin is also edible[]. The pulp of the fruit is eaten either raw or steamed with rice[]. Just before eating, the fruit is lightly rolled between the hands to bruise it and help release the flavour[]. The fruit is a depressed-globose berry, 25 - 45mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

The lightly burned bark is used to cure caterpillar stings[].

Other Uses

An oil is extracted from the seeds[]. It is used to manufacture candles and soap[].

The pale, golden-yellow wood is rather loose textured. It is used in construction[, , , ].
There are a number of tree species (including this one) from southeast Asia 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 any more specific information 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 soft to moderately hard, not very 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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