4519

5(2): Timber trees; Minor commercial timbers

Podocarpus neriifolius D. Don

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

Descr. Pinus 2: 21 (1824).

Podocarpus discolor Blume (1849), Podocarpus leptostachya Blume (1849), Podocarpus neglecta Blume (1849), Podocarpus decipiens N.E. Gray (1955), Podocarpus polyantha (Wasscher) Gaussen (1976).

Indonesia: antok (Java), beberas (Sumatra), kayu cina (Irian Jaya). Malaysia: podo bukit, jati bukit (Peninsular), ki beling (Sabah). Philippines: mala adelfa (general). Burma (Myanmar): thitmin. Laos: ka dong. Thailand: phayamai (general), phailamton (north-eastern), khunmai (eastern).

Podocarpus neriifolius is the most widespread species of the genus, occurring from Nepal, India, Indo-China and Thailand, throughout Malesia, towards the Solomon Islands and Fiji; also planted in gardens.

P. neriifolius is one of the main sources of podocarp timber; the wood is often used for furniture and cabinet work. The fruit is edible. A decoction of the leaves has been used against rheumatism and arthritis. Juice from the leaves is used against sores infested with maggots in Papua New Guinea.

A medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 35(—45) m tall, bole columnar, branchless for up to 22 m, up to 100 cm in diameter, rarely spurred or even buttressed, bark surface greyish-brown; foliage buds ovate, acute or blunt, often with spreading scales; juvenile leaves acuminate, adult leaves (7—)8—18 cm (1.0—)1.1—1.8 cm, midrib above abruptly raised, (0.4—)0.6—0.8 mm wide; pollen cones solitary or in twos or threes, sessile; receptacle red when mature. Podocarpus neriifolius is a variable species not always easily distinguishable from Podocarpus polystachyus. It occurs scattered but may be locally common in primary rain forest, generally on rocky hilltops, on sandstone or latosols (Java) or on ultrabasic soils, also near rivers, from sea-level up to 2100 m altitude. It usually appears as an understorey tree with occasional specimens emerging into the canopy, but it is normally encountered as a canopy tree, e.g. on Java. The density of the wood is 415—790 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

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R.E. Nasution

Nasution, R.E., 1995. Podocarpus neriifolius D. Don. 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