Payena lucida
(Wall. ex G. Don) A. DC.
Balam jiput tree
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(c) Min Sheng Khoo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
Description
A tree. It grows 40 m tall. The trunk can be 65 cm across. The sap is white. The leaves are alternate and simple. The flowers are 1 cm across. They are white and in clusters in the axils of leaves. The fruit are 2 cm long. It is green and fleshy.
Edible Uses
Fruit. The ovoid fruit is a dryish berry 11 - 20mm x 15 - 37mm with a thin, fleshy pericarp and a single, large seed.
Medicinal Uses
A decoction of the roots is traditionally given to women after childbirth.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows in mixed dipterocarp forest up to 200 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, SE Asia,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seeds.
Other Uses
Wood. We do not have any more specific information on the wood of this species, but it belongs to a group of timbers collectively called 'Nyatoh'. The general description of nyatoh wood is as follows:- The heartwood is a dark pink to a red-brown; it is clearly demarcated from the 4 - 9cm wide band of lighter-coloured sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked, sometimes wavy. The wood is light in weight, soft to moderately hard; strong, somewhat durable, being resistant to dry wood borers, moderately resistant to fungi but susceptible to termites. It seasons somewhat slowly, with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is stable in service. There is a very variable content of silica according to the species, but in general the wood has a high blunting effect so stellite-tipped and tungsten-carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct. The wood has a range of applications, including for high class furniture and cabinet making, solid doors, panelling, joinery, parquet flooring, boat decking, light carpentry, turnery, moulding and veneer.
Also Known As
Nyatoh, Pohon blam jiput
References (3)
- Slik, F., www.asianplant.net
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 434
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
