Common Name:

General Information

Payena dantung is a tree growing around 15 metres tall. The bole is buttressed.
The tree is harvested from the wild both for its latex, which is of inferior quality but is sometimes used to make gutta percha, and also for its timber, which is treaded under the name 'Nyatoh'[].
Payena dantung is endemic to Sumatra and has a moderately small range. Based on tree cover loss data there is a projected continuing decline in the extent and quality of habitat. As a result there is also a suspected population decline. Almost 24% of the tree cover within the species range has been lost between 2000 - 2015 - this reduction and population decline would likely be greater if calculated over three generation lengths (60-150 years) rather than 15 years. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Indonesia (Sumatra)

Habitat

Montane or lower montane areas in primary dipterocarp forest[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Species in this genus will generally grow in a variety of soils[].

Edible Uses

The fruit is an oblong-ovoid, dryish berry 30 - 45mm x 16 - 20mm with a thin, fleshy pericarp and 1 - 2 large seeds[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A latex obtained from the trunk is of inferior quality but can be used as gutta percha[, ].
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 electrical 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[, , ]. It is used locally for fixing tools into their handles[].

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 '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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