Pterocymbium tinctorium
(Blanco) Merr.
Malvaceae
Pterocymbium columnare Pierre
Pterocymbium javanicum R.Br.
Pterocymbium viridiflorum Koord.
Sterculia campanulata Wall. ex Mast.
Common Name:
Looking up the trunk into the canopy
Photograph by: Vinayaraj
Looking up the trunk into the canopy
Photograph by: Vinayaraj
The trees, fruits and seed
Photograph by: Vinayaraj
General Information
Pterocymbium tinctorium is a deciduous tree growing 45 - 50 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 90cm in diameter and unbranched for up to 30 metres[
345- Title
- Minor Products of Philippine Forests
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brown. W. H.
- Publisher
- Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of fibre, wood and dyestuff. The wood is also sometimes traded internationally[
384- Title
- Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
- Publisher
- UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
- Year
- 2007
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
].
Known Hazards
The bark and fruits are poisonous[
345- Title
- Minor Products of Philippine Forests
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brown. W. H.
- Publisher
- Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
].
Botanical References
Range
Southeast Asia - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.
Habitat
Most commonly found on alluvial flats, is also found in evergreen, deciduous or open forest in periodically dry locations at elevations up to 1,000 metres[
384- Title
- Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
- Publisher
- UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
- Year
- 2007
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
]. Virgin forests, mainly on drier soils[
345- Title
- Minor Products of Philippine Forests
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brown. W. H.
- Publisher
- Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
].
Properties
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Deciduous Tree |
| Height | 40.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
A plant of the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 26 - 32°c, but can tolerate 17 - 36°c[
]. It can be killed by temperatures of 4°c or lower[
]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 3,000 - 3,800mm, but tolerates 2,500 - 4,400mm[
].
Prefers a sunny position[
]. Grows best in a light to medium, well-drained soil[
]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7[
].
A fast growing tree[
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
A fibre obtained from the bark is used to make rope[
384- Title
- Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
- Publisher
- UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
- Year
- 2007
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
]. A strong rope can be made from the fibres with a tensile strength of 381 kilos per square centimetre[
345- Title
- Minor Products of Philippine Forests
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brown. W. H.
- Publisher
- Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
]. Immersion in water for twenty-four hours can increase strength by about 7%[
345- Title
- Minor Products of Philippine Forests
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brown. W. H.
- Publisher
- Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
].
The bark is used to improve black dyeing of cotton cloth[
384- Title
- Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
- Publisher
- UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
- Year
- 2007
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
]. This is probably due to the presence of tannins[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
The white wood is light and very soft[
345- Title
- Minor Products of Philippine Forests
- Publication
-
- Author
- Brown. W. H.
- Publisher
- Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
- Year
- 1920
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
]. It is used for construction, matches, veneer, floats and pulp[
384- Title
- Strategies for the Sustaibable Use and Management of Timber Trees - SE Asia.
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/pdf/SEAsia_2007_V2.pdf
- Publisher
- UNEP; Cambridge, UK.
- Year
- 2007
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A draft document in PDF format, available on the Internet. It gives brief details on habitat, uses etc of over 100 species of trees from SE Aia.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
