3436

5(1): Timber trees; Major commercial timbers

Cynometra ramiflora L.

This article should be read together with the article on the genus: Cynometra in the Handbook volume indicated above in this database.

Sp. pl.: 382 (1753).

Cynometra bijuga Spanoghe ex Miq. (1855), Cynometra hosinoi Kaneh. (1935), Cynometra neo-caledonica Guillaumin (1936).

Indonesia: kateng, kepel, wunut (Java). Malaysia: katong laut (general). Philippines: balitbitan, oringen (general). Cambodia: chôm'prinh. Thailand: phang kha (central), ma khak (peninsular), maeng kha (Trat). Vietnam: c[aa]y tr[aa]m ngh[eej], c[aa]y m[os]t.

India, Indo-China, Thailand, throughout Malesia to the Pacific; often erroneously reported from Australia.

The wood is used as kekatong; it is suitable for house building, tool handles, woodcraft and ornamental purposes.

A small to medium-sized tree of up to 30 m tall, bole up to 60 cm in diameter and sometimes with buttresses of up to 90 cm high, outer bark smooth but with numerous lenticels, dark grey to brown, inner bark whitish or light brown to red, sapwood pale pinkish-brown, heartwood cream to reddish-brown; leaves with 1-2 pairs of rounded to acuminate leaflets, the lower pair usually smaller than the upper one; pod distinctly rugose, globose or slightly flattened, woody, 2.2-5 cm 1.3-4 cm. Cynometra ramiflora is a characteristic constituent of the inner fringe of mangrove forest but is also found inland in riverine and even savanna vegetation up to 525 m altitude. The density of the wood is 720-1155 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

[35]Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1963–1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen.
[89]Browne, F.G., 1955. Forest trees of Sarawak and Brunei and their products. Government Printing Office, Kuching. xviii + 369 pp.
[100]Burgess, P.F., 1966. Timbers of Sabah. Sabah Forest Records No 6. Forest Department, Sabah, Sandakan. xviii + 501 pp.
[102]Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. 2nd edition. Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Kuala Lumpur. Vol. 1 (A–H) pp. 1–1240. Vol. 2 (I–Z) pp. 1241–2444.
[146]Cockburn, P.F., 1976–1980. Trees of Sabah. 2 volumes. Sabah Forest Records No 10. Forest Department Sabah, Kuching.
[153]Corner, E.J.H., 1988. Wayside trees of Malaya. 3rd edition. 2 volumes. The Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur. 774 pp.
[175]de Guzman, E, R. M. Umali, & E.D. Sotalbo, 1986. Guide to Philippine flora and fauna. Vol. 3: dipterocarps, non-dipterocarps. Natural Resources Management Center, Ministry of Natural Resources & University of the Philippines, Manila. xx + 414 pp.
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[235]Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viêtnam (various editors), 1960–. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.
[318]Heyne, K., 1927. De nuttige planten van Nederlands-Indië [The useful plants of the Dutch East Indies]. 2nd ed. 3 volumes. Departement van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Handel in Nederlandsch-Indië, 's-Gravenhage. 1953 pp.
[366]Knaap-van Meeuwen, M.S., 1970. A revision of 4 genera of the tribe Leguminosae-Caesalpinioïdeae-Cynometreae in Indo-Malesia and the Pacific. Blumea 18: 1–52.
[381]Kostermans, A.J.G.H., 1982. The genus Cynometra (Leguminosae) in Ceylon (Sri-Lanka). Reinwardtia 10: 63–68.
[493]Mohammed Shukari Midon, 1982. Malaysian timbers – kekatong. Malaysian Forest Service Trade Leaflet No 79. Malaysian Timber Industry Board, Kuala Lumpur. 7 pp.
[579]Reyes, L.J., 1938. Philippine woods. Technical Bulletin No 7. Commonwealth of the Philippines, Department of Agriculture and Commerce. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 536 pp. + 88 plates.
[625]Smitinand, T., 1980. Thai plant names. Royal Forest Department, Bangkok. 379 pp.
[626]Smitinand, T. & Larsen, K. (Editors), 1970–. Flora of Thailand. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department, Bangkok.
[779]Whitmore, T.C. & Ng, F.S.P. (Editors), 1972–1989. Tree flora of Malaya. A manual for foresters. 4 Volumes. 2nd ed. Malayan Forest Records No 26. Longman Malaysia SDN Berhad, Kuala Lumpur.

M.H.A. Hoffman

Hoffman, M.H.A., 1993. Cynometra ramiflora L.. In: Soerianegara, I. and Lemmens, R.H.M.J. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 5(1): Timber trees; Major commercial timbers. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea