Record Number
4383
PROSEA Handbook Number
5(2): Timber trees; Minor commercial timbers
Taxon
Litsea monopetala (Roxb.) Persoon
This article should be read together with the article on the genus: Litsea in the Handbook volume indicated above in this database.
This article should be read together with the article on the genus: Litsea in the Handbook volume indicated above in this database.
Protologue
Syn. pl. 2: 4 (1807).
Synonyms
Tetranthera monopetala Roxb. (1798), Litsea polyantha A.L. Juss. (1805), Tetranthera alnoides Miq. (1853).
Vernacular Names
Indonesia: huru koneng, huru manuk (Sundanese, Java), gempur (Javanese, Java). Malaysia: medang busok, bangang (Peninsular). Burma (Myanmar): ondon laukya. Thailand: kathang (peninsular).
Distribution
India, Burma (Myanmar), throughout Indo-China, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Java.
Uses
The wood is used as medang, e.g. for planks and tool handles. The seeds contain an oil which is used medicinally in India. The leaves are the principal food of the muga silkworm (Antheraea assama) in India and are used for fodder in Nepal.
Observations
A small tree up to 18 m tall, bole straight to crooked, up to 60 cm in diameter, bark surface longitudinally fissured, dark greyish, inner bark brown mottled; leaves alternate, 4.5—17 cm 2.5—10 cm, blunt to acute, glabrous above, sparsely hairy below, midrib sunken above, with 6—13 pairs of secondary veins which are sunken above, tertiary venation scalariform, distinct below, petiole 1—2.5 cm long; flowers in peduncled umbellules in short racemes, with (4—)6 tepals and 9—12 stamens; fruit oblong to ellipsoid, 0.7—1.2 cm long, seated on a small flat perianth cup. Litsea monopetala is locally common in mixed lowland and montane evergreen or semi-deciduous forest, up to 1500 m altitude. Litsea polyantha is sometimes regarded as a distinct species. The density of the wood is about 540 kg/m3 at 15% moisture content.
Image
 | Litsea monopetala (Roxb.) Persoon – 1, flowering twig; 2, umbellule of flowers; 3, branchlet with leaf and infructescence. |
Selected Sources
[36]Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1963–1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen.
[78]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.
[89]Chandrasekhar, M., Phookan, S.N., Thangavelu, K., 1987. Estimation of leaf area in Litsea polyantha Juss. Indian Journal of Forestry 10(4): 310–311.
[140]Desch, H.E., 1941–1954. Manual of Malayan timbers. Malayan Forest Records No 15. 2 volumes. Malaya Publishing House Ltd., Singapore. 762 pp.
[234]Heyne, K., 1927. De nuttige planten van Nederlands-Indid [The useful plants of the Dutch East Indies]. 2nd edition, 3 volumes. Departement van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Handel in Nederlandsch-Indid, 's-Gravenhage. 1953 pp.
[303]Koorders, S.H. & Valeton, T., 1894–1915. Bijdrage tot de kennis der boomsoorten van Java [Contribution to the knowledge of the tree species of Java]. 13 parts. G. Kolff & Co., Batavia, 's-Gravenhage.
[316]Kostermans, A.J.G.H., 1964. Bibliographia Lauracearum. Ministry of National Research, Indonesia. xvi + 1450 pp.
[529]Ridley, H.N., 1922–1925. The flora of the Malay Peninsula. 5 volumes. Government of the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States. L. Reeve & Co., London.
[705]Whitmore, T.C. & Ng, F.S.P. (Editors), 1972–1989. Tree flora of Malaya. A manual for foresters. 2nd edition. 4 volumes. Malayan Forest Records No 26. Longman Malaysia SDN. Berhad, Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya.
[78]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.
[89]Chandrasekhar, M., Phookan, S.N., Thangavelu, K., 1987. Estimation of leaf area in Litsea polyantha Juss. Indian Journal of Forestry 10(4): 310–311.
[140]Desch, H.E., 1941–1954. Manual of Malayan timbers. Malayan Forest Records No 15. 2 volumes. Malaya Publishing House Ltd., Singapore. 762 pp.
[234]Heyne, K., 1927. De nuttige planten van Nederlands-Indid [The useful plants of the Dutch East Indies]. 2nd edition, 3 volumes. Departement van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Handel in Nederlandsch-Indid, 's-Gravenhage. 1953 pp.
[303]Koorders, S.H. & Valeton, T., 1894–1915. Bijdrage tot de kennis der boomsoorten van Java [Contribution to the knowledge of the tree species of Java]. 13 parts. G. Kolff & Co., Batavia, 's-Gravenhage.
[316]Kostermans, A.J.G.H., 1964. Bibliographia Lauracearum. Ministry of National Research, Indonesia. xvi + 1450 pp.
[529]Ridley, H.N., 1922–1925. The flora of the Malay Peninsula. 5 volumes. Government of the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States. L. Reeve & Co., London.
[705]Whitmore, T.C. & Ng, F.S.P. (Editors), 1972–1989. Tree flora of Malaya. A manual for foresters. 2nd edition. 4 volumes. Malayan Forest Records No 26. Longman Malaysia SDN. Berhad, Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya.
Author(s)
M.S.M. Sosef
Correct Citation of this Article
Sosef, M.S.M., 1995. Litsea monopetala (Roxb.) Persoon. In: Lemmens, R.H.M.J., Soerianegara, I. and Wong, W.C. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 5(2): Timber trees; Minor commercial timbers. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea
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