Palaquium xanthochymum

(de Vriese) Pierre ex Burck

Sapotaceae Edible: Seeds - oil

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Summary

Palaquium xanthochymum is a tree in the family Sapotaceae. The specific epithet xanthochymum means 'yellow latex'.

Description

A tree. It grows 40 m tall. It has yellow latex. The trunk can be 80 cm across. It has buttresses. The leaves can be clustered at the ends of twigs. The flowering shoots have 5 flowers. They are white. The fruit is oblong and 3-5 cm long.

Edible Uses

Oil is extracted from the seeds.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows from sea level to 400 m above sea level in Indonesia. It is often in mixed swamp forest.

Where It Grows

Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, SE Asia, Singapore,

Other Uses

The wood is moderately heavy, hard, not easily split. It is particularly suitable for making boats. 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.

Synonyms

Croixia xanthochyma (de Vriese) BaehniDichopsis rubens C. B. ClarkeIsonandra xanthochyma de VriesePalaquium lanceolatum BurckPalaquium rubens (C. B. Clarke) Engl.Palaquium xanthochymum var. montanum H. J. LamPalaquium xanthochymum var. puberulum H. J. Lam