4831

5(3): Timber trees; Lesser-known timbers

Allophylus L.

Sp. pl. 1: 348 (1753); Gen. pl., ed. 5: 164 (1754).

SAPINDACEAE

x = 14; A. cobbe: 2n = 28

Tit-berry (En). Brunei: tukil-tukil. Indonesia: cukilan (Javanese), si jangi, sicancang (Minangkabau, Sumatra). Malaysia: chinchang, chunkil (Peninsular), kelampu (Iban, Sarawak). Philippines: barotangol (general), bating-tangkaian, bignai-gubat (Filipino). Burma (Myanmar): zaung-gale. Thailand: chatong, phia fan (northern), tosai (northern, central).

Allophylus comprises a single species: A. cobbe (L.) Raeuschel (synonyms: A. dimorphus Radlk., A. fulvinervis (Blume) Blume, A. grossedentatus (Turcz.) Fern.-Vill.). It is pantropical and occurs throughout the Malesian region. In South-East Asia, it slightly penetrates the subtropical regions.

The timber of A. cobbe is mainly used for temporary construction and indoor application, e.g. for rafters, walking sticks, handles and other small articles. In the Bismarck Archipelago it is used for floats of outrigger canoes; in the Philippines for beaters for cotton fruits. The wood is also used for fuel.
Trees have occasionally been planted as ornamentals. Extracts or decoctions of the leaves, roots and bark are used medicinally against stomach-ache, bruises and fever. In Mindanao the scraped bark is applied to rigid abdomen and the bark to burns. The slightly sour fruits are eaten. They have been used as a fish poison in New Guinea.

There are no records of commercial trade of Allophylus wood and utilization is probably only local.

A. cobbe yields a lightweight to medium-weight hardwood. The density of the heartwood of an Indian wood sample was 640 kg/m³ and that of the sapwood of an Indonesian sample was about 330 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. Heartwood buff-coloured or grey; grain straight; texture fine. Growth rings indistinct; vessels moderately small to medium-sized, solitary and in radial multiples of 2-4, open with occasional white deposits; rays very fine, sometimes conspicuous on radial surface.
The wood is moderately soft to moderately hard, but weak and non-durable.
See also the table on microscopic wood anatomy.

A monoecious or dioecious, evergreen to partly deciduous, shrub or small to medium-sized tree up to 25 m tall, sometimes a woody climber; bole often crooked, branching low, up to 30 cm in diameter; bark surface smooth. Twigs glabrous to stellate hairy. Leaves arranged spirally, digitate, (1-)3(-5)-foliolate, exstipulate; leaflets usually dentate. Inflorescence axillary, either simple or composed of a few raceme-like thyrses, sometimes paniculate. Flowers unisexual, zygomorphic, 4-merous; sepals persistent; petals with a 2-lobed, usually bearded scale inside; stamens 8, filaments hairy; disk present; ovary superior, deeply 2(-3)-lobed with 1 ovule per cell, style 1. Fruit drupaceous, usually with 1 seed, globular to obovoid, dull orange-red. Seed without an aril. Seedling with epigeal germination; cotyledons emergent, fleshy; first pair of leaves opposite, subopposite or arranged spirally, usually 3-foliolate with serrate or lobed leaflets, subsequent leaves arranged spirally.
Ectotrophic mycorrhizae have been observed in A. cobbe. It flowers seasonally, in Java mainly during the west monsoon period. Female flowers appear to be hermaphrodite but show no anther dehiscence. Male flowers open before the female ones. Pollination is by bees. Maturation of the fruits takes 2-3 months. The fruits are mainly eaten by birds which thus disperse the seed.
A. cobbe is extremely variable and used to be divided into many species (some 250!). It is now regarded as a highly variable complex with many local "races"".

The extreme morphological variation of A. cobbe is also reflected in its ecology. It is found in areas with everwet as well as seasonal climatic conditions, in primary or secondary forest but also in shrub vegetation, on sandy or rocky shores, in mangrove forest and freshwater swamps. The substrate varies from sand to heavy clay or peat and from granitic boulders to limestone outcrops. A. cobbe is found up to 1500(-2000) m altitude.

A. cobbe may be raised from seed, which has about 30% germination in 30-62 days. It is a pioneer, rapidly colonizing gaps. It is not resistant to fire.

There are no records of ex situ conservation of A. cobbe. Its pantropical occurrence and wide-ranging site requirements mean that it is unlikely to be endangered.

It is most unlikely that A. cobbe will gain importance as a timber, because of its small dimensions.

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R.R.P. Irwanto

Irwanto, R.R.P., 1998. Allophylus L.. In: Sosef, M.S.M., Hong, L.T. and Prawirohatmodjo, S. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 5(3): Timber trees; Lesser-known timbers. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea