Common Name:

General Information

Palaquium microphyllum is an evergreen tree growing around 30 metres tall. The bole is straight and cylindrical.
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of wood and also traded under the name 'Nyotah'[].
Palaquium microphyllum has a wide range and some collections have been made in protected areas. There has, however, been over 18% tree cover loss within ts range from 2000 - 2016, causing a suspected population decline. The population decline would most likely be greater if calculated over three generation lengths (60-150 years) rather than a 16 year period.The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2018)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

Lowland mixed dipterocarp, swamp and kerangas foress[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Near Threatened
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is often found in the wild in Kerangas forest - a type of moist, heath forest found on acidic, sandy soils that are low in nutrients, especially nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The hard timber is used for planks, posts and other parts of traditional Malay wooden houses[].
We do not have any more specific information on the wood of this species, but it belongs to a group of timbers collectively called 'Nyatoh'[]. 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 lighter-coloured sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked, sometimes wavy. The wood is light in weight, soft to moderately hard; strong, 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 high class furniture and cabinet making, solid doors, panelling, joinery, parquet flooring, boat decking, light carpentry, turnery, moulding and veneer[, ].

Propagation

Seed -

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