Palaquium luzoniense (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Palaquium luzoniense (Fernandez-Villar) S. Vidal

Protologue: Revis. pl. vasc. filip.: 176 (1886).

Synonyms

• Palaquium ahernianum Merr. (1903),
• Croixia luzoniensis (Fernandez-Villar) Baehni (1965).

Vernacular names

• Philippines: nato (general), dolitan (Tagalog), gasatan (Iloko).

Distribution

Throughout the Philippines, but probably not in Palawan.

Uses

The timber forms the bulk of "red nato" in the Philippines. It is used for furniture and cabinet making, cigar boxes and ship planking; it is also suitable for veneer and plywood. The latex is used for making gutta-percha.

Observations

• A small to medium-sized tree up to 25 m tall, with bole up to 50 cm in diameter, but sometimes attaining 120 cm, lacking buttresses.
• Leaves clustered at tip of twigs, obovate, oblong or elliptical, with transverse to reticulate tertiary venation, minutely hairy beneath.
• Flowers in 1-4-flowered clusters, borne on slender pedicels 20-65 mm long, yellowish-green or whitish.
• Fruit ellipsoid, 3.5-4 cm long, initially minutely hairy but glabrescent, dull green.

P. luzoniense is fairly common in primary forest at low and medium altitudes. The heartwood is reddish-brown, has a density of 440-670(-770) kg/m³ at 15% moisture content, is easy to work and moderately durable for interior work. The timber is obtainable in limited quantities. The gutta-percha obtained from this species is of fairly good quality, and the trade was formerly important. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

36, 175, 461, 480, 484, 486, 579, 743.

Main genus page

• Palaquium (Timbers)

Authors

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