Sindora supa (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Sindora supa Merr.

Protologue: Philipp. Journ. Sc., Bot. 1, Suppl. 3: 198 (1906).

Vernacular names

• Philippines: supa (Bikol, Tagalog), baloyong (Batangas), manapo (Tayabas).

Distribution

The Philippines (Luzon, Mindoro).

Uses

The timber is locally fairly important and used for high-grade furniture and interior work, musical instruments and flooring. The wood-oil is locally used as a lamp-oil, for making varnishes, paints and transparent paper, and medicinally against skin diseases.

Observations

• A medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall with a straight cylindrical bole branchless for up to 12 m, occasionally up to 180 cm in diameter.
• Leaves with 4-6 leaflets, leaflets 2.5-9 cm × 2.5-5 cm, leathery and glabrous.
• Flowers with 6.5-10 mm long calyx lobes puberulous and with spiny outgrowths all over.
• Pod mostly ovate, c. 5 cm long, with many spines having a swollen base.

S. supa grows in forests at low and medium altitudes, especially on limestone ridges in regions without a distinct dry season. The timber is often streaked on longitudinal surfaces. The density is reported as about 830 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content, but it is probably usually less. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

86, 186, 319, 403, 484, 579, 768.

Main genus page

• Sindora (Timbers)

Authors

• M.S.M. Sosef (selection of species)