Scaphium macropodum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Scaphium macropodum (Miq.) Beumée ex K. Heyne

Protologue: Nutt. pl. Ned. Ind., ed. 2: 1068 (1927).

Synonyms

• Scaphium affinis (Masters) Pierre (1888; "affine"),
• Scaphium beccarianum Pierre (1888),
• Scaphium lychnophorum (Hance) Pierre (1888; "lichnophorum").

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: kepayang, merpayang (Sumatra), tempayang (Java)
• Malaysia: kembang semangkok jantong (Peninsular), kembang semangkok batu (Sabah)
• Thailand: phungthalai (central), samrong (south-eastern).

Distribution

Cambodia, south-eastern and peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Bangka and Borneo.

Uses

S. macropodum is the principal source of kembang semangkok timber. The seeds are used medicinally to treat diarrhoea, dysentery and asthmatic complaints. The sour jelly obtained from the outer seed-coat is used to prepare a beverage, together with sugar or fruit juice. The fibrous inner bark is sometimes used as walling for houses.

Observations

• A large tree up to 45 m tall with bole up to 80 cm in diameter, having large and often spreading buttresses.
• Leaves variable in shape and size, broadly ovate, ovate, elliptical, oblong or lanceolate, (8-)15-25(-40) cm × (1-)7-12(-30) cm, shallowly cordate, truncate, rounded to broadly cuneate at base, acute or acuminate at apex, with 6-11 pairs of secondary veins, glabrous, petiole up to 15 cm long.
• Fruit up to 22 cm long; seed up to 25 mm long, glabrous, red.

S. macropodum is by far the most common Scaphium species and is locally abundant on well-drained undulating land and ridges up to 1200 m. For more information see genus treatment and the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

10, 33, 100, 102, 146, 155, 183, 190, 318, 376, 431, 578, 779.

Main genus page

• Scaphium

Authors

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