Calophyllum wallichianum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia
Introduction

Calophyllum wallichianum Planchon & Triana

Protologue: Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. 4, 15: 277 (1862).

Vernacular names

Malaysia: bintangor lilin (Peninsular).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, the Riau Archipelago, Sumatra and northern Borneo (Sarawak, Sabah, East Kalimantan); possibly also in North Sulawesi.

Uses

The timber is used as bintangor.

Observations

A medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 36 m tall with bole up to 160 cm in diameter, usually without buttresses; twigs obscurely to strongly 4-angled, terminal bud plump to conical, (12-)16-30 mm long; leaves oblong to ovate, (5-)8-25(-32.5) cm long, rounded to cuneate at base, usually acute at apex, with (8-)10-17 veins per 5 mm; inflorescences axillary, usually unbranched, 7-15(-19)-flowered; flowers with 4 tepals (rarely 6); fruit ellipsoid, (ob)ovoid or spherical, 20-30(-35) mm long, with fairly thick, compact outer layer, orange or dull yellow-green. Two varieties are distinguished: var. wallichianum occurs in north-western Peninsular Malaysia up to 900 m altitude, and var. incrassatum (M.R. Henderson & Wyatt-Smith) P.F. Stevens (synonym: C. incrassatum M.R. Henderson & Wyatt-Smith) occurs in eastern Peninsular Malaysia to Sumatra and Borneo. Much of the information in the literature under C. wallichianum refers to C. rufigemmatum .

Selected sources

33, 648, 779.