3494

5(1): Timber trees; Major commercial timbers

Endospermum diadenum (Miq.) Airy Shaw

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

Kew Bull. 14: 395 (1960).

Endospermum borneense Benth. (1864), Endospermum malaccense Benth. (1864), Endospermum beccarianum Pax & Hoffm. (1912).

Indonesia: madang tapak kudu (western Sumatra), kayu labuh (Palembang, Sumatra), garung (Kalimantan). Malaysia: membulan (Peninsular), terbulan (Sarawak), sendok (Sabah). Thailand: taphong (Trat), lokhao (Trang), famo (Surat Thani).

Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and intervening islands.

The timber is an important source of sesendok; it is one of the favourite timbers for clogs. Endospermum diadenum is also used for reforestation and as a shade tree. The bark is used to cure dropsy and the roots are applied to injuries.

A medium-sized to fairly large tree of up to 35(-40) m tall, bole stout, columnar, up to 150 cm in diameter, with thick buttresses, bark surface smooth, becoming rugose to scaly in patches, grey-fawn, inner bark thick, cream with orange flecks; leaves non-peltate (sometimes peltate in saplings), obovate to broadly ovate or cordate, 7-25 cm 4-22 cm, palmately 3-9-veined, the midrib with 3-5 pairs of lateral veins, petiole with 0-2 small glands at the apex; inflorescence long and simple or the male one with short side-axes; male flowers with 9-11 stamens, female flowers with a 2-3-celled ovary and a 1.5 mm wide stigma. Endospermum diadenum occurs in primary forest and particularly in secondary forest on low, undulating country or along streams and occasionally on permanently inundated sites, up to 1000 m altitude; sometimes in association with Sapium baccatum Roxb. The density of the wood is 300-650 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

[10]All Nippon Checkers Corporation, 1989. Illustrated commercial foreign woods in Japan. Tokyo. 262 pp.
[22]Ang, L.H., 1990. Effect of open and under planting on early survival and growth of Endospermum malaccense (sesendok), Alstonia angustiloba (pulai) and Shorea parvifolia (meranti sarang punai). Journal of Tropical Forest Science 3: 380–384.
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[45]Balan Menon, P.K., 1986. Uses of some Malaysian timbers (revised ed. by S.C. Lim). Malaysian Forest Service Timber Trade Leaflet No 31. Malaysian Timber Industry Board, Kuala Lumpur. 48 pp.
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[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.
[131]Chew, T.K., 1980. Observations on the growth and seed production of planted sesendok (Endospermum malaccense) at Tekam F.R., Pahang. Malaysian Forester 43: 532–537.
[307]Hallé, F., Oldeman, R.A.A. & Tomlinson, P.B., 1978. Tropical trees and forests. An architectural analysis. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York. 441 pp.
[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.
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[359]Keating, W.G. & Bolza, E., 1982. Characteristics, properties and uses of timbers. Vol. 1. South-East Asia, Northern Australia and the Pacific. Inkata Press Proprietary Ltd., Melbourne, Sydney & London. 362 pp.
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[514]Ng, F.S.P. & Tang, H.T., 1974. Comparative growth rates of Malaysian trees. Malaysian Forester 37: 2–23.
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[755]von Meyenfeldt, C.F.W.M. et al., 1978. Reforestation of devastated inland forests in South Vietnam. Vol. 3. List of tree species (Appendix IV). Vakgroep Bosteelt, Landbouwuniversiteit, Wageningen. 219 pp.
[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.
[805]Wyatt-Smith, J., 1960. Diagnostic linear sampling of regeneration. Malayan Forester 23: 191–209.
[812]Yap, S.K. & Razali Hussin, 1980. The reproductive behaviour of sesendok (Endospermum malaccense). Malaysian Forester 43: 37–43.

W.M. America

America, W.M., 1993. Endospermum diadenum (Miq.) Airy Shaw. 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