Palaquium barnesii (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Palaquium barnesii Merr.

Protologue: Bur. Govt. Lab. 6: 13 (1903).

Synonyms

• Madhuca barnesii (Merr.) Baehni (1965).

Vernacular names

• Philippines: Barnes nato (general), alakaak, palak-palak (Tagalog).

Distribution

The Philippines (Luzon, Masbate).

Uses

The timber is used as nyatoh for light planking and temporary construction work, and also for cigar boxes and furniture.

Observations

• A large tree up to 40 m tall.
• Leaves evenly distributed, obovate to spatulate, with inconspicuous and slender transverse tertiary veins, pubescent beneath.
• Flowers in 5-many-flowered clusters, borne on slender, 25-35 mm (-50 mm in fruit) long pedicels.
• Fruit narrowly ovoid to fusiform, 3.5-4 cm long, glabrous.

P. barnesii is found in primary forests at low and medium altitudes. The timber is grouped together with other Palaquium species under "red nato", which has a density of 450-600 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content and is reddish-brown.

Selected sources

36, 480, 484, 486, 743.

Main genus page

• Palaquium (Timbers)

Authors

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