Calophyllum macrocarpum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Calophyllum macrocarpum Hook.f.

Protologue: Fl. Brit. India 1: 273 (1874).

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: bintangor bunut, bintangor rimba (Peninsular), bunut (Sarawak)
• Thailand: chuat (Trang).

Distribution

Southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and Borneo.

Uses

The timber is used as bintangor; it is used to build houses and for the manufacture of furniture. The fruit is edible.

Observations

• A large tree up to 45 m tall (trees of 60 m have been reported), with bole up to 160 cm in diameter, buttresses usually absent or present but small; twigs sharply 4-angled, terminal bud plump, (2-)3.5-5.5(-9) mm long.
• Leaves usually oblong to elliptical, 8-25(-35) cm long, acute at base, usually shortly acuminate at apex, with (4-)5-10(-13) veins per 5 mm.
• Inflorescences axillary, usually unbranched but occasionally with 3-flowered branches, (3-)7-15-flowered; flowers with 8 (rarely 10) tepals.
• Fruit ellipsoid, very large, 80-130 mm long, with thick outer layer having large air spaces under the skin, dark green.

C. macrocarpum occurs in mixed dipterocarp forest (often near streams), on ridges in hill forest, in periodically inundated forest on acid and sandy soil. It grows up to 800 m altitude. The timber is hard and reportedly durable. The outer layer of the fruit is edible but fibrous.

Selected sources

1, 33, 102, 648, 779.

Main genus page

• Calophyllum

Authors

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