Common Name: Binuang

General Information

Octomeles sumatrana is a colossal, fast-growing, evergreen tree with a semi-globular crown with a pagoda-like branching habit. The tree can reach a height of 62 metres, with unconfirmed reports of specimens in excess of 80 metres[]. The straight bole, which has steep buttresses that can be 10 metres tall and 6 metres wide, can be unbranched for the first 30 metres and 250 - 400cm in diameter[, ].
The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and timber. It is also cultivated as a pioneer species and for soil stabilization.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Habitat

Often associated with riverine and alluvial deposits but also found in primary and secondary mixed dipterocarp forests on well-drained fertile friable soils; at elevations up to 1,000 metres[, , ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	50.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	?Bees, ?Wind
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A tree of the moist, lowland tropics where it is generally found at elevations below 1,000 metres[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 29 - 34°c, but can tolerate 20 - 38°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 3,000 - 4,000mm, but tolerates 2,000 - 5,000mm[].
Requires a sunny position[]. Succeeds in alluvial soils, clays and sandy loams[]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 5.5, tolerating 4 - 6.5[].
Trees can be exceptionally fast growing, with one report of a 4-year old specimen having attained a height of 25 metres and a bole diameter of 47cm[].
Annual wood production potential is 25 - 40 cubic metres per hectare[].
Trees are resistant to fire damage[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - cooked and eaten as a vegetable[].

Medicinal

A leaf extract is used to cure stomach-ache[].

The bark and the sap are used in the treatment of fevers, asthma, back ache, malnourishment and pigbel[]. Pigbel is a type of necrotizing enteritis endemic in the Papua New Guinea highlands caused by the B toxin of Clostridium perfringens type C; occurs predominantly in children because of poor immunity to type B toxin and a low level of intestinal proteases, resulting from a diet (mostly sweet potatoes) low in protein.

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree's extensive root system binds the soil, making it an ideal plant for stabilizing river banks[].
The tree is actually a pioneer species in the rainforest, rapidly invading new banks of alluvial soil built up by the rivers, but unable to regenerate once other trees close the canopy below them[]. It is often found growing in disturbed habitats such as logged-over forest and after cultivation, where it can grow extremely fast, often in gregarious even-aged stands[].

Other Uses

A dye is obtained from the bark[].

The heartwood is pale brown or pinkish brown; the sapwood is almost white but of drab appearance. The wood is soft, light in weight, brittle, with an interlocked grain and coarse texture. It seasons slowly and is not durable. It works easily with machine and hand tools but the timber can crumble or give a woolly finish if the tool cutters are not kept sharp. It also stains and polishes satisfactorily. The wood can be used for cores, backs to plywood, and is a useful utility timber for packing cases, pallets, concrete shuttering, matchboxes and other temporary purposes, and can also be used for pulp[, , ]. The colossal stems are suitable for making large canoes[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a fairly short viability and should be sown before it is 12 months old[]. It does not have a dormancy, and pre-treatment is not necessary. It probably germinates better in a sunny position. Seeds are sown in a nursery seedbed and only just covered, Germination will usually take place within 7 days. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they have 4 leaves and place in semi-shade for one week before returning them to a sunny position[]. Plant out when 30cm tall, which is usually when they are less than 4 months old[, ].

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