Xanthophyllum lanceatum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Xanthophyllum lanceatum (Miq.) J.J. Smith

Family: Polygalaceae

Synonyms

• Skaphium lanceatum Miq.,
• Xanthophyllum glaucum Wallich ex Hassk.,
• Xanthophyllum microcarpum Chodat.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: siur-siur (Indonesian, Sumatra)
• Malaysia: sesiyor (Peninsular)
• Burma (Myanmar): kam-gaw
• Laos: 'sêng nam², 'som²'sêng, soum 'sêng
• Thailand: chum saeng (central), khang khao ton kliang (northern), saeng (north-eastern).

Distribution

Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and southern Sumatra.

Uses

The seed yields an oil that has been used for cooking and for the manufacture of candles and soap. In Sabah, the wood is used for indoor construction, cabinet making, flooring, joinery and blockboard; in Sumatra it is made into kris handles. In traditional medicine the seed oil is used against thrush and the bark is administered to treat colic.

Observations

• A low shrub or small tree, 3-12 m tall and up to 20 cm in diameter.
• Leaves alternate, simple; petiole 3-5 mm long; blade narrowly elliptical to lanceolate, 4-14 cm × 1-6 cm, base cuneate to rounded, at underside with glands up to 0.3 mm in diameter, margin undulate and often a little incurved, apex acuminate, tertiary veins finely reticulate, protruding.
• Inflorescence axillary, raceme-like but usually sparsely branched basally, longer than the leaves, in basal part flowers grouped 3-5 together, in upper part flowers solitary; pedicel 2-4 mm long.
• Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 5-merous, pinkish or white, largest (inner) sepal 2 mm × 3 mm, longest petal 6-9 mm, carina densely hairy outside; stamens 8; ovary superior with 4 ovules.
• Fruit a broadly ellipsoid to globular, indehiscent capsule, 1-4 cm in diameter, pericarp rather thick but soft, smooth, glabrous, grey-brown, with 1 or 2 seeds.

X. lanceatum is restricted to stream banks and swamps. Fruits are collected from small trees or, because the fruits fall into the water often in large amounts, from places where they strand alongside streams. They are piled in heaps for 3-4 days, after which seeds are extracted, washed and dried. From the seeds, a yellowish-green oil can be obtained by pressing. Seed with a moisture content of 9% contains about 40% oil, which is solid at ambient temperatures, liquid at 48 °C. The density of the wood is about 580 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

19, 42, 56, 59, 135. oils