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Useful Tropical Plants

Palaquium gigantifolium

Merr.

Sapotaceae

+ Synonyms

Croixia gigantifolia (Merr.) Baehni

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Palaquium gigantifolium is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 18 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 50cm or more in diameter, with very small or no buttresses[
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.
,
722
Title
Bureau of Government Laboratories Vol. 6
Publication
 
Author
Merrill E.D.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Bureau of Public Printing; Manilla.
Year
1903
ISBN
 
Description
A series of botanical booklets looking at the flora of the Philippines. This volume has descriptions of a number of new species and looks at American plants that have naturalized in the Philippines. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is used locally and also traded under the name 'Nyatoh'.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

722
Title
Bureau of Government Laboratories Vol. 6
Publication
 
Author
Merrill E.D.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Bureau of Public Printing; Manilla.
Year
1903
ISBN
 
Description
A series of botanical booklets looking at the flora of the Philippines. This volume has descriptions of a number of new species and looks at American plants that have naturalized in the Philippines. It can be downloaded from the Internet.

Range

Southeast Asia - Philippines.

Habitat

Rain forest on hillsides at elevations around 50 metres[
722
Title
Bureau of Government Laboratories Vol. 6
Publication
 
Author
Merrill E.D.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Bureau of Public Printing; Manilla.
Year
1903
ISBN
 
Description
A series of botanical booklets looking at the flora of the Philippines. This volume has descriptions of a number of new species and looks at American plants that have naturalized in the Philippines. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Properties

Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height15.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A small amount of latex exudes from the bark. It is not utilized[
722
Title
Bureau of Government Laboratories Vol. 6
Publication
 
Author
Merrill E.D.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Bureau of Public Printing; Manilla.
Year
1903
ISBN
 
Description
A series of botanical booklets looking at the flora of the Philippines. This volume has descriptions of a number of new species and looks at American plants that have naturalized in the Philippines. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. The latex has in the past been used as a source of gutta percha[
903
Title
The Gutta Percha and Rubber of the Philippines Islands
Publication
Department of Interior; Bureau of Government Laboratories, Philippines.
Author
Sherman P.L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Bureau of Public Printing; Malila, Philippines
Year
1903
ISBN
 
Description
Written at the beginning of the 20th century, before the advent of synthetic rubbers, this is a review of the known rubber-producing plants being utilized in the Philippines. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Gutta-percha is a natural latex obtained from the sap of the tree. Allowing this fluid to evaporate and coagulate in the sun produces a hard, durable, non-brittle but non-elastic latex which can be made flexible again when heated to temperatures over 50°c, and then retains any form given while cooling. Prior to the advent of synthetic materials, gutta-percha had a wide range of uses - most particularly as an insulating material for electricity wiring and for underwater telegraph wires, a purpose for which it is very well suited since it is bio-inert and so is not attacked by marine plants or animals. Gutta-percha can be moulded into any shape and has been used to make items such as ornate furniture, pistol grips, acid-resistant receptacles and ‘mourning’ jewellery, where its dark colour was an advantage. It has been widely used as the core of golf balls and is still used in modern dentistry where its bio-inertness makes it ideal as a temporary filling for teeth and as a filling material inside tooth fillings[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
,
418
Title
Ecocrop
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
]. It is used locally for fixing tools into their handles[
310
Title
Plant Resources of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://proseanet.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
].

We do not have any specific information on the wood of this species, but it belongs to a group of timbers collectively called 'Nyatoh'[
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 general description of nyatoh wood is as follows:-
The heartwood is a dark pink to a red-brown; it is clearly demarcated from the 4 - 9cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked, sometimes wavy. The wood is light in weight, soft to moderately hard; somewhat durable, being resistant to dry wood borers, moderately resistant to fungi but susceptible to termites. It seasons somewhat slowly, with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is stable in service. There is a very variable content of silica according to the species, but in general the wood has a high blunting effect so stellite-tipped and tungsten-carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct. The wood has a range of applications, including for highclass furniture and cabinet making, panelling, joinery, flooring, light carpentry, turnery, moulding and veneer[
848
Title
Tropix 7
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://tropix.cirad.fr/en
Publisher
CIRAD
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-12. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Palaquium+gigantifolium>

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