Palaquium burckii (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Palaquium burckii H.J. Lam

Protologue: Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 7: 57 (1925).

Synonyms

• Croixia burckii (H.J. Lam) Baehni (1965).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: suntai hitam (Sumatra).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia (Johor), Sumatra and the Riau Archipelago.

Uses

The timber is used as nyatoh, particularly for making planks for building boats. The fruit is edible. The seeds contain fat which may be used for cooking.

Observations

• A fairly large tree up to 40 m tall, with straight, cylindrical bole up to 80 cm in diameter.
• Leaves loosely clustered at tip of twigs, obovate, with inconspicuous, closely transverse tertiary veins, velvety beneath.
• Flowers in 4-10-flowered clusters, borne on 15-35 mm long pedicels.
• Fruit ovoid-ellipsoid, 4.5-7.5 cm long, hairy.

P. burckii grows in marshy forests, often in peat-swamp forest, at low altitudes. The timber is moderately heavy, with a density of 520-760 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

36, 102, 318, 461, 743, 779.

Main genus page

• Palaquium (Timbers)

Authors

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