Grewia bilamellata (PROSEA)
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Introduction |
Grewia bilamellata Gagnep.
- Family: Tiliaceae
Vernacular names
- Philippines: benglaleng (Ilokano, Igorot), dongrareng, durareng (Ilokano).
Distribution
Indo-China, the Philippines (Ilocos region).
Uses
The bast is made into weak rope that deteriorates rapidly under wet conditions.
Observations
A shrub, 3-4 m tall. Leaves alternate; stipules 1.5 mm long, caducous; petiole 3-5 mm long; blade lanceolate, 4-6 cm × 1.5-2 cm, base obtuse, margin dentate, apex pointed. Inflorescence an axillary, 3-flowered cyme; sepals 5, 7-8 mm long; petals 5, half as long as sepals. Fruit a subglobose, glabrous capsule. G. bilamellata occurs in thickets at low altitudes. Flowering and fruiting are recorded in October in Indo-China. In Philippine studies in the 1910s, dry and wet rope made from the bast of G. bilamellata had a mean tensile strength of 320 kg per cm² and 180 kg per cm², respectively. The elongation at break of dry and wet rope was 11%.
G. laevigata Vahl (synonyms: G. acuminata Juss., G. multiflora Juss.) is a timber tree. In Indonesia its dried bast is used for tying; in the Philippines the bast fibres are extracted and made into rope, string, cloth, fishing nets and bird scares. The bast fibre cells are (1.1-)1.8(-2.7) mm long and (6-)15(-24) μm wide, with a lumen width of (1-)3(-5) μm and a cell-wall thickness of 1-10 μm. Dry and wet rope made from the bast had a mean tensile strength of 376 kg per cm² and 332 kg per cm², respectively, and an elongation at break of 10% and 11%, respectively. G. eriocarpa Juss. (synonym: G. celtidifolia Juss.) is also used as a timber tree. In Indonesia its bark is used for tying; in the Philippines fibres are extracted and made into rope or used for braiding hats. Dry and wet rope made from the bast had a mean tensile strength of 394 kg per cm² and 381 kg per cm², respectively, and an elongation at break of 6% and 9%, respectively.
Selected sources
15, 19, 59, 71, 93, 112.
Authors
M. Brink, P.C.M. Jansen & C.H. Bosch
