Common Name:

General Information

Scaphium scaphigerum is a deciduous tree usually growing around 15 - 50 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be up to 150cm in diameter, with buttresses up to 7 metres high in some reports[, ], only 2 metres in others [].
The seeds are commonly harvested from the wild to make a drink that is very popular in China and Thailand, and also for medicinal purposes. The wood is a source of 'kembang semangkok' timber and is harvested from the wild for local use and for trade.
Although Scaphium scaphigerum is found in forest which is under threat from logging and other human disturbances its wide distribution means a conservation status of Least Concern is most appropriate[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia

Habitat

Evergreen lowland forest at elevations from 80 - 700 metres[, ]. Non-flooded lowland primary rain forest, often near streams[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	30.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Scaphium scaphigerum is a plant of the moist tropics where it can be found at elevations up to 700 metres. It grows in areas with a pronounced dry season[].

Edible Uses

The seed, when soaked in water, produces a gelatinous mass. Although virtually tasteless, it is used to make a popular drink in Thailand and China, usually with the addition of sugar and soaked basil seeds[]. The seeds are 18 - 35mm long, surrounded by a thin pericarp about 2mm wide - this is the part that swells and increases enormously in size when soaked in water[].

Medicinal

A drink made with the mucilage from the soaked seed is demulcent, febrifuge and stomachic[, , ]. It is said to be effective in a wide range of diseases, particularly for treating diarrhoea and dysentery, probably working by coating the affected area in a soothing, healing mucilage and thus giving it an opportunity to recover[].
The main component in the mucilage is bassorin[].

The ripe seeds are used in the treatment of constipation[].

Other Uses

The fibrous bark is sometimes used for walls in temporary local houses[].

The wood of all species in this genus is very similar and no distinction in use is made between them[]. The wood is often traded; in Malaysia it is known as 'kembang semangkok', in Indonesia as 'kapas-kapasan', in Thailand as samrong. The following is a general description of the wood:-
The heartwood is light yellow to light brown, with a large silver figure; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is medium to slightly coarse and uneven; the grain straight or shallowly interlocked. The wood is light to moderately heavy; soft to moderately hard; fairly strong; somewhat resistant to fungi but susceptible to dry wood borers. It seasons fairly rapidly, with very little risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. Because of its high silica content, it has a blunting effect on tools and so stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended. It is easy to work, nailing and screwing are good; gluing is correct; planing is easy and the surface produced is generally smooth. Considered a light hardwood, it has a very attractive figure, making the timber very suitable for interior finishing, panelling, furniture components etc, It is also used in construction, for joinery, boxes and crates, flooring, matches, plywood etc. Logs can be easily peeled to various thicknesses of veneers without any form of pretreatment - the veneers produced are found to be smooth and tight. Attractive ornamental figures can be found on the veneer surfaces and the veneer can be glued fairly easily[, , , , ].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -

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