Common Name:

General Information

Madhuca crassipes is a tree that can grow up to 40 metres tall. The bole can be up to 70cm in diameter with steep plank buttresses up to 250cm high and 120cm wide[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is traded under the names 'Bitis' and 'Nyatoh'[].
Madhuca crassipes has quite a large range, but is likely to be harvested for timber and also grows in a habitat (freshwater peat swamps) that is particularly under threat - almost 13% of the tree cover within its range was lost during the period 2000- 2016. Due to the declining extent and quality of habitat there is a suspected population decline which is likely to be greater if calculated over three generation lengths (60-150 years). The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Indonesia (Sumatra, Kalimantan), Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak), Brunei

Habitat

Mixed dipterocarp forest in lowland and lower montane areas, and in seasonal freshwater peat swamps[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Near Threatened
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	35.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

Wood[].
We do not have any more specific information on the wood of this species, but it belongs to a group of timbers collectively called 'Bitis'[]. The general description of bitis wood is as follows:-
The heartwood is red-brown to purple- or chocolate-red-brown; it is sharply demarcated from the yellow-brown to purple-grey-brown sapwood. The texture is moderately fine and even, with straight or shallowly interlocked grain. The wood is strong, heavy and durable. It is very difficult to treat with preservatives.
It is slightly difficult to difficult to resaw, easy to slightly difficult to crosscut. Planing is slightly difficult but the planed surface is smooth. Nailing property is rated as poor. The timber seasons slowly with moderate end-checking, splitting and surface-checking as the major sources of defects. Shrinkage is high. The timber is likely to be fairly difficult to dry. The wood is suitable for all forms of heavy construction, bridges, wharves, piers, piling, posts, railway sleepers, parquet flooring and heavy flooring.
Bitis is essentially a Peninsular Malaysian name. In Sabah and Sarawak, the timber is not differentiated from the lighter species of Madhuca and Palaquium, and they are all sold together as nyatoh.

Propagation

Seed -

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