Palaquium semaram (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Palaquium semaram H.J. Lam

Protologue: Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 7: 43 (1925).

Synonyms

• Croixia semaram (H.J. Lam) Baehni (1965).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: balam hitam, balam seminai (Sumatra), lakis bukit daun lebar (Lingga)
• Malaysia: nyatoh semaram, semaram (Peninsular).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Lingga.

Uses

The timber is used as nyatoh. The seeds yield a fat which may be used for cooking.

Observations

• A large tree up to 50 m tall, with columnar bole, often free of branches for over 25 m, up to 90 cm in diameter and with large plank buttresses.
• Leaves densely clustered at tip of twigs, spatulate or obovate, with reticulate tertiary venation, often with tertiary veins parallel to secondary ones, initially woolly on midrib beneath, otherwise glabrous.
• Flowers in 2-9-flowered clusters, borne on 8-20 mm long pedicels, pale yellow.
• Fruit obovoid or ellipsoid, 2.5-3.5 cm long, glabrous (often except at base and apex) and green.

P. semaram is fairly common in lowland forest (up to 500 m altitude), but occurs scattered in the forest, often in marshy places. The timber is dark brown, with a density of 680-820 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

36, 102, 190, 318, 743, 779, 792.

Main genus page

• Palaquium (Timbers)

Authors

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