Litsea garciae (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Litsea garciae Vidal

Family: Lauraceae

Synonyms

• Litsea sebifera (Blume) Blume.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: malai (Bangka), wuru lilin (Javanese), tangkalak (Sundanese)
• Philippines: bagnolo (Tagalog), kupa (Bagobo), pipi (Bikol).

Distribution

Originating from the Philippines, now cultivated in Indonesia (Java, Bangka) and possibly in Peninsular Malaysia.

Uses

The pulp of the fruit is eaten either raw or steamed with rice. It is reminiscent of the taste of avocado. The stearic oil from the seed was formerly used to make candles and soap. The wood is used for construction.

Observations

• Tree, 10-20 m tall, 40-50 cm in diameter.
• Leaves ovate-oblong-lanceolate, 12-50 cm × 5-18 cm.
• Fruit a depressed-globose berry, 2.5-4.5 cm diameter, red.

In forests at low and medium altitudes in the Philippines; on Java cultivated especially in mountain regions. On Bangka it is one of the most common fruit trees.

Selected sources

• Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1963 1968. Flora of Java. 3 Volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands.

• Greshoff, M., 1894. Schetsen nuttige Indische planten [Sketches of useful Indonesian plants]. Series 1 (1-50). De Bussy, Amsterdam. 245 pp.

• Koorders, S.H. & Valeton, Th., 1894 1914. Bijdrage tot de kennis der boomsoorten van Java [Contribution to the knowledge of tree species of Java]. 13 Volumes. G. Kolff & Co., Batavia.

• Merrill, E.D., 1923 1925. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants. 4 Volumes. Government of the Philippine Islands, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bureau of Printing, Manila.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen, J. Jukema, L.P.A. Oyen, T.G. van Lingen