Canarium australianum (PROSEA)
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Introduction |
Canarium australianum F. v. Mueller
- Protologue: Fragm. 3: 15 (1862).
Distribution
South-eastern New Guinea and northern Australia.
Uses
The wood is used as kedondong, e.g. for furniture and joinery, and is locally preferred for tool handles. The resin has been used by aborigines to secure spear heads.
Observations
A medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall, bole up to 45 cm in diameter; stipules caducous, narrow; leaves with 7-9(-15) leaflets, leaflets rounded to acute or shortly blunt-acuminate at apex, margin entire to slightly dentate, glabrous to minutely tomentose below, with 15-24 pairs of secondary veins; inflorescence axillary, narrowly paniculate; flowers 4-6.5 mm long, stamens 6; fruit ovoid, circular to bluntly triangular in cross-section, c. 20 mm × 12.5 mm, glabrous. The species is divided into 3 varieties, 2 of which occur in New Guinea: var. australianum and var. glabrum Leenh. C. australianum is found in rain and monsoon forest, in Australia in drier vegetations and even on coastal sands too, apparently restricted to areas with a periodically dry season, at low altitude. See also the table on wood properties.
Selected sources
59, 162, 342, 366.
