Calophyllum peekelii (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Calophyllum peekelii Lauterb.

Protologue: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 58: 11 (1922).

• Calophyllum kajewskii A.C. Smith (1941).

• Solomon Islands: baula.

Irian Jaya (northern part), Papua New Guinea including New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville, and the Solomon Islands.

The timber is used for building houses and for canoes; it is probably traded as "calophyllum" in Papua New Guinea. The bark is used as a fuel.

• A medium-sized to large, possibly dioecious tree up to 40 m tall (occasionally up to 60 m), with bole up to 180 cm in diameter, often without buttresses but sometimes small buttresses present; twigs strongly 4-angled or 4-alate, terminal bud plump, 9-15 mm long.
• Leaves obovate to oblong or subelliptical, 8.5-17.5(-21.5) cm long, acute at base, rounded or shallowly retuse at apex, with 6-9(-12) veins per 5 mm.
• Inflorescences axillary, often branched, 7-21(-31)-flowered; flowers with 8 tepals.
• Fruit spherical to ovoid, 45-70 mm long, with thick, compact outer layer, dull green or bluish-green.

C. peekelii grows usually in well-drained primary lowland rain forest up to 300 m altitude. In mainland New Guinea it occurs very scattered.

359, 648.

• Calophyllum

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