Manilkara kauki (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Manilkara kauki (L.) Dubard

Protologue: Ann. Inst. Bot.-Géol. Colon. Marseille, sér. 3, 3: 9 (1915).

Synonyms

Mimusops kauki L. (1753).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: sawo kecik (Java, Bali), kayu sawo (Java), sabo (Bali)
• Malaysia: sawah, sawai, sawau (Peninsular)
• Papua New Guinea: sner
• Thailand: lamut-thai, lamut-sida (central)
• Vietnam: viết.

Distribution

Burma, Indo-China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, throughout Indonesia (except Kalimantan), Papua New Guinea and north-eastern Australia.

Uses

The timber is used for construction and particularly for furniture and carving; it is also used for turnery and mills. The fruits are edible. This species is used as rootstock for sapodilla ( Manilkara zapota ). Flowers and seeds are used medicinally. The trees are planted as fruit trees and ornamentals, often near palaces and temples.

Observations

A medium-sized tree, up to 25 m tall, often with gnarled and low-branched bole, sometimes columnar, up to 100 cm in diameter; leaves clustered at apex of twigs, silky white velvety beneath; flower buds ovoid, pedicels not incrassate, curved and long, calyx up to 7 mm long, ovary with distinct glabrous disk; fruit ovoid or obovoid, up to 3.7 cm long. M. kauki usually grows in coastal regions with a comparatively dry climate, generally below 500 m altitude.

Selected sources

102, 165, 166, 167, 201, 304, 318, 346, 356, 618, 640, 673, 682, 686, 731, 760, 779, 783.

Authors

I.G.M. Tantra (general part), N. Tonanon (properties), R.H.M.J. Lemmens (properties, selection of species) & R. Klaassen (wood anatomy)