3539

5(1): Timber trees; Major commercial timbers

Heritiera littoralis Aiton

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

Hort. kew. 3: 546 (1789).

Heritiera minor (Gaertner) Lamk (1797).

Looking-glass tree (En). Brunei: itik-itikan. Indonesia: dungon (general), dungun kecil (Kalimantan). Malaysia: dungun (general), dungut laut (Sabah). Philippines: dungon-late (Pilipino). Burma: pinle-kanazo. Cambodia: khleay. Thailand: khai khwai (Krabi), duhun (Trang), ngonkai-thale (central, Surat Thani). Vietnam: c[aa]y cui, cui bien.

Eastern Africa, southern Asia from India to southern China and to tropical Australia, Hawaii and New Caledonia; throughout Malesia.

The timber is used as dungun. It is excellent firewood, having a high energy value. Moreover, the wood is suitable for the production of wrapping, writing, and printing paper. The bark contains tannin and is used for toughening fishing nets. An extract from the seeds is used medicinally in cases of diarrhoea and dysentery. The seeds are occasionally eaten. In the Philippines the roots are used as a fish poison.

A medium-sized evergreen tree, up to 25 m tall, but usually much less, with usually twisted and stunted bole up to 40(-60) cm in diameter, buttresses thin, wavy, extending far out; leaves simple, silvery scaly beneath, petioles 0.5-1(-2) cm long, stout; panicles lax, up to 18 cm long; fruit ellipsoid, with a rudder-like ridge, glabrous and glossy. Heritiera littoralis grows in the inland zone of mangrove swamps, and it is common in many places. The wood often smells like leather. The density of the wood is 830-1040 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

[33]Ashton, P.S., 1988. Manual of the non-dipterocarp trees of Sarawak. 2 volumes. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Sarawak branch, for Forest Department, Sarawak. 490 pp.
[35]Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1963–1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen.
[48]Bärner, J. 1942–1961. Die Nutzhölzer der Welt. 4 volumes. J. Neumann, Neudamm.
[67]Bolza, E. & Kloot, N.H., 1966. The mechanical properties of 81 New Guinea timbers. Technological Paper No 41. Division of Forest Products, CSIRO, Melbourne. 39 pp.
[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.
[119]Chai, P.P.K., 1975. Mangrove forests in Sarawak. Malaysian Forester 38: 108–134.
[146]Cockburn, P.F., 1976–1980. Trees of Sabah. 2 volumes. Sabah Forest Records No 10. Forest Department Sabah, Kuching.
[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.
[190]Desch, H.E., 1954. Manual of Malayan timbers. Malayan Forest Records No 15. 2 volumes. Malaya Publishing House Ltd., Singapore. 762 pp.
[378]Kostermans, A.J.G.H., 1959. A monograph of the genus Heritiera Aiton. Penerbitan 1. Madjelis Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia, Djakarta. 121 pp. Also in: Reinwardtia 4: 465–583.
[385]Kraemer, J.H., 1951. Trees of the western Pacific region. Tri-State offset Company, Ohio. 436 pp.
[438]Lombibao, B.A., 1978. Wood anatomy of Philippine mangrove species. Forpride Digest 7: 23–34.
[484]Meniado, J.A. et al., 1975–1981. Wood identification handbook for Philippine timbers. 2 volumes. Government Printing Office, Manila. 370 & 186 pp.
[486]Merrill, E.D., 1923–1926. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants. 4 volumes. Bureau of Printing, Manila.
[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.
[703]Tomlinson, P.B., 1986. The botany of mangroves. Cambridge University Press. 413 pp.
[735]van Royen, P., 1964–1969. Manual of the forest trees of Papua and New Guinea. 6 Parts. Division of Botany, Department of Forests, Lae.
[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.

R.H.M.J. Lemmens

Lemmens, R.H.M.J., 1993. Heritiera littoralis Aiton. 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