Palaquium obtusifolium (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Palaquium obtusifolium Burck

Protologue: Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg 5: 33 (1886).

Synonyms

• Palaquium negrosense Merr. (1915),
• Palaquium ternatense H.J. Lam (1925),
• Madhuca obtusifolia (Burck) Baehni (1965).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: tatahaan, weluan (Sulawesi), tofiri mojui (Moluccas)
• Philippines: negros nato (general).

Distribution

Sumatra, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, the Philippines (Negros, Mindanao), the Moluccas and Irian Jaya.

Uses

The timber is used as nyatoh, but only for indoor use; locally it is used for canoes.

Observations

• A large tree up to 45 m tall, with bole up to 100 cm in diameter, with buttresses.
• Leaves evenly distributed or loosely clustered at tip of twigs, obovate, spatulate or elliptical, with slender, transverse tertiary veins, initially sparsely pubescent beneath but soon glabrous.
• Flowers in 2-5-flowered clusters, borne on 9-15(-32) mm long pedicels, yellowish to brownish.
• Fruit ovoid or obovoid, 3-4 cm long, glabrous and greenish.

P. obtusifolium is found in lowland primary forest. The timber is moderately light to moderately heavy (density of 390-740 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content) and not very strong or durable when exposed to the weather or in contact with the ground.

Selected sources

36, 318, 461, 480, 486, 743.

Main genus page

• Palaquium (Timbers)

Authors

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