Palaquium obovatum
(Griff.) Engler
White gutta, Katapong gutta-percha
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Summary
Source: WikipediaPalaquium obovatum is a tree in the family Sapotaceae. The specific epithet obovatum means 'egg-shaped', referring to the leaves.
Description
A tree. It grows up to 40 m high. The trunk can be 40 cm across. The bark is red brown. The leaves are oval or egg shaped. They are 6-45 cm long by 3-17 cm wide. The flowering stalks have up to 10 flowers. The flowers are The fruit are round berries are 2-3 cm across.
Edible Uses
The white latex contained in the bark is used for making sweets.
Traditional Uses
The bark contains white latex used for making sweets.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
A tropical plant. It usually grows in tropical evergreen dense forest. It occurs below 800 m altitude. It can be up to 1,300 m above sea level. It can be on limestone.
Where It Grows
Andamans, Asia, Cambodia, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, SE Asia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seeds.
Other Uses
The tree is a source of a good quality gutta-percha. Of low quality. Gutta-percha is a natural latex obtained from the sap of the tree. Allowing this fluid to evaporate and coagulate in the sun produces a hard, durable, non-brittle but non-elastic latex which can be made flexible again when heated to temperatures over 50°c, and then retains any form given while cooling. Prior to the advent of synthetic materials, gutta-percha had a wide range of uses - most particularly as an insulating material for electrical wiring and for underwater telegraph wires, a purpose for which it is very well suited since it is bio-inert and so is not attacked by marine plants or animals. Gutta-percha can be moulded into any shape and has been used to make items such as ornate furniture, pistol grips, acid-resistant receptacles and ‘mourning’ jewellery, where its dark colour was an advantage. It has been widely used as the core of golf balls and is still used in modern dentistry where its bio-inertness makes it ideal as a temporary filling for teeth and as a filling material inside tooth fillings. It is used locally for fixing tools into their handles. The red wood is hard and not easily split. It is little attacked by termites and is durable under water, so is used in boat planking and house building. 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
Also Known As
Belan wangi, Chay, Cheh wangi, Chok nom, Cot, Daser-chagne, Kathulua, Menyatoh, Nyatoh balam, Nyatoh bunga, Nyatoh wangi, Pinle-byin, Pohon nyatoh katapong, Taban balam kuning, Taban puteh, Wai-to-phang, Xay-dao, Yang kanun nok
References (8)
- Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 422
- Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 12:511. 1890
- Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 1668
- Forest Inventory and Planning Institute, 1996, Vietnam Forest Trees. Agriculture Publishing House p 670
- Pham-Hoang Ho, 1999, An Illustrated Flora of Vietnam. Nha Xuat Ban Tre. p 635
Show all 8 references Hide references
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 428
- Wiersema, J. H. & Leon, B., 2013, World Economic Plants. A Standard Reference CRC Press. 2nd Ed. p 490
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
