Litsea luzonica
Fern.-Vill.
Lauraceae
Malapoenna luzonica Kuntze
Tetranthera luzonica Blume
Common Name: Dungoi
General Information
Litsea luzonica is a small evergreen tree that can grow up to 18 metres tall[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
]. The bole can be up to 30cm in diameter[
721- Title
- Commercial Woods of the Philippines; Their Preparation and Uses
- Publication
- Philippines Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 14
- Author
- Schneider E.E.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Bureau of Forestry; Manilla.
- Year
- 1916
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A series of booklets dealing with various aspects of the Philippine forests. This volume looks at the preparation and uses of the commercial woods of the Philippines. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is used locally and is also probably traded as 'medang' timber.
Although Litsea luzonica is threatened on a local level by habitat loss and degradation as well as by population decline, overall this species has a very wide distribution and probably a high population, The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
Southeast Asia - Philippines.
Habitat
An understorey tree in dense, primary forests and in the more open, secondary formations, at elevations from 100 - 1,000 metres[
701- Title
- Asean Tropical Plant Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://211.114.21.20/tropicalplant/index.jsp
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Terse details, with photos, of many of the plants growing in the tropical forests of southeast Asia. Gives some details of plant uses along with a description of the plant and its range.
].
Properties
| Conservation Status | Least Concern |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Tree |
| Height | 0.00 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[
2011- Title
- A revision of Litsea (Lauraceae) in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore
- Publication
- Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore 73(1): 81-178. 2021
- Author
- Kok R.P.J. de
- Website
- http://10.26492/gbs73(1).2021-07
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2021
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A very detailed treatment of the species
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
The small core of heartwood is grayish or brownish; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is fine and there is no pronounced odour[
721- Title
- Commercial Woods of the Philippines; Their Preparation and Uses
- Publication
- Philippines Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 14
- Author
- Schneider E.E.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Bureau of Forestry; Manilla.
- Year
- 1916
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A series of booklets dealing with various aspects of the Philippine forests. This volume looks at the preparation and uses of the commercial woods of the Philippines. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The wood is an important source of fuel in various areas in which it grows[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
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’[
467- Title
- The Philippine Journal of Science. Vol. 4
- Publication
-
- Author
- Freer P.C. (Editor)
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- The Bureau of Science, Philippines.
- Year
- 1909
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A number of articles on Philippine plants, including one on the qualities of Philippine woods.
,
895- Title
- Timber Notes - Light Hardwoods II
- Publication
- Timber Technology Bulletin No. 10
- Author
- Gan K.S.; Lim S.C.; Choo K.T.
- Publisher
- Forest Research Institute; Malaysia
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 139-258
- Description
- Part of an excellent series of publications, this one giving a brief guide to five lesser known groups of light hardwoods from southeast Asia. It is available in PDF format on the Internet.
].
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[
467- Title
- The Philippine Journal of Science. Vol. 4
- Publication
-
- Author
- Freer P.C. (Editor)
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- The Bureau of Science, Philippines.
- Year
- 1909
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A number of articles on Philippine plants, including one on the qualities of Philippine woods.
,
895- Title
- Timber Notes - Light Hardwoods II
- Publication
- Timber Technology Bulletin No. 10
- Author
- Gan K.S.; Lim S.C.; Choo K.T.
- Publisher
- Forest Research Institute; Malaysia
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 139-258
- Description
- Part of an excellent series of publications, this one giving a brief guide to five lesser known groups of light hardwoods from southeast Asia. It is available in PDF format on the Internet.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
