Palaquium amboinense (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Palaquium amboinense Burck

Protologue: Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg 5: 37 (1886).

Synonyms

• Palaquium javense Burck (1886),
• Isonandra amboinensis (Burck) Baehni (1965).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: kawang (Java), siki ayer, siki batu (Ambon).

Distribution

Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, the Moluccas and New Guinea (including New Britain and Bougainville).

Uses

The timber is used as nyatoh for house construction, boards and simple furniture, but in Central Java also for gamelan musical instruments and fine furniture. A fat can be obtained from the seeds, which is used for cooking or as illuminant.

Observations

• A medium-sized to large tree, sometimes up to 50 m tall, with straight bole up to 120 cm in diameter.
• Leaves more or less clustered at tips of twigs, elliptical or narrowly obovate to obovate, with tertiary veins transverse to almost parallel to secondary veins, glabrous on both sides.
• Flowers in 1-6-flowered clusters, borne on 4-15(-20) mm long pedicels, yellowish-white.
• Fruit narrowly ovoid to ovoid, 2.5-5 cm long, glabrous.

P. amboinense occurs in lowland forest, in East Java up to 750 m altitude, in Timor up to 900 m. The timber is fairly light with a density of 450-510 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content, is not durable and splits easily; it is difficult to saw.

Selected sources

35, 36, 318, 461, 743.

Main genus page

• Palaquium (Timbers)

Authors

• R.H.M.J. Lemmens (selection of species)