5643

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

Ilex L.

Sp. pl. 1: 125 (1753); Gen. pl., ed. 5: 60 (1754).

AQUIFOLIACEAE

x = 9, 10; no counts for Malesian species available but most other species have 2n = 36 or 40

Mensira (trade name). Holly, ilex (En). Brunei: bengkulat. Malaysia: bangkulatan (Sabah), bengkulat (Sarawak), mensirah (Peninsular).

Ilex comprises about 400 species which occur in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of the world with centres of diversity in North America and eastern Asia (mainly China). The number of Malesian species is roughly estimated to be about 80.

The wood of Ilex is used for house building, door and window frames, interior finish, furniture, household utensils, turnery, carving, tool handles, pencils, chopsticks, matches, packing cases, and also for plywood and moulding.
The roots of I. cymosa have been used medicinally in a decoction for fever.

There are no exact figures on export and trade of "mensira"". Mensira is not of commercial importance in Malaysia, but in Indonesia it is considered a commercial timber. Small amounts are occasionally imported in mixed parcels by Japan from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. In 1996 Papua New Guinea exported about 2630 m³ of Ilex logs at an average free-on-board (FOB) price of US$ 99/m³.

Ilex yields a lightweight to medium-weight hardwood with a density of 490-680 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. Heartwood white to pale yellow, darkening to yellow-brown upon exposure, not clearly differentiated from the sapwood; grain straight; texture fine and uneven due to the broad rays; wood with conspicuous flecks on tangential surface and silver grain on radial surface. Growth rings generally indistinct, occasionally rather distinct as darker bands due to fewer parenchyma; vessels moderately small to medium-sized, mostly in radial multiples of 2-3, occasionally solitary, open; parenchyma moderately abundant, apotracheal diffuse-in-aggregates, moderately distinct with a hand lens; rays of 2 distinct sizes, very fine and moderately broad to very broad, the broad ones conspicuous to the naked eye; ripple marks absent.
Shrinkage is moderate to high and the wood is not easy to season as it tends to split slightly along the broad rays. The wood is easy to work. It is non-durable and is highly susceptible to sap-stain. The sapwood may be susceptible to Lyctus.
See also the tables on microscopic wood anatomy and wood properties.

Evergreen, dioecious shrubs or trees up to 20(-40) m tall; bole sometimes with small buttresses, up to 70(-120) cm in diameter; bark surface smooth or warty, white to pale grey or grey-brown, inner bark thick, coarsely gritty, grey-brown to yellowish-brown, no exudate. Leaves arranged spirally, simple, often leathery, entire or toothed; stipules absent or minute. Flowers in an axillary cyme or fascicle, rarely solitary, 4-6-merous; sepals persistent; petals imbricate and joined at base, white or greenish; ovary superior, (2-)4-9(-22)-locular with 1-2 ovules in each cell, stigma sessile, persistent in fruit. Fruit drupaceous with 3-10(-16) stones containing 1-2 seeds, red, purple or black.
In Peninsular Malaysia I. grandiflora Ridley has been observed to flower and fruit in mast years. Seed dispersal is mainly by birds; pollination by insects.
The Asian Ilex species are in need of a thorough taxonomic revision as most of the present information is only on a local scale or seems outdated. Within Malesia Ilex is the only representative of the family Aquifoliaceae, sometimes referred to as Ilicaceae.

Most Malesian Ilex species are montane treelets or small trees. Several of them, among which most of the timber producers, form an exception and are found in primary or sometimes secondary lowland swamp and mangrove forest or in montane forest, particularly on poorly drained soils, up to 2400 m altitude. I. macrophylla prefers well-drained soils.

Temperate Ilex species usually take 1-3 years to germinate and I. cymosa needs at least several months.

There is probably little risk of genetic erosion as Ilex is not commonly harvested for its timber.

Although Ilex wood may possess an attractive silver grain, its rareness and the generally small size of the trees limit its use.

[40]All Nippon Checkers Corporation, 1989. Illustrated commercial foreign woods in Japan. Tokyo. 262 pp.
[57]Appanah, S. & Weinland, G., 1993. Planting quality timber trees in Peninsular Malaysia - a review. Malayan Forest Record No 38. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong. 221 pp.
[66]Baas, P., 1973. The wood anatomical range in Ilex (Aquifoliaceae) and its ecological and phylogenetic significance. Blumea 21: 193-258.
[70]Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr., R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Wolters-Noordhoff, Groningen.
[151]Browne, F.G., 1955. Forest trees of Sarawak and Brunei and their products. Government Printing Office, Kuching, Sarawak. xviii + 369 pp.
[163]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.
[209]Corner, E.J.H., 1988. Wayside trees of Malaya. 3rd edition. 2 volumes. The Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur. 774 pp.
[260]den Berger, L.G., 1926. Houtsoorten der cultuurgebieden van Java en Sumatra's oostkust [Tree species of the cultivated areas of Java and the east coast of Sumatra]. Mededeelingen No 13. Proefstation voor het Boschwezen, Buitenzorg. 186 pp.
[267]Desch, H.E., 1941-1954. Manual of Malayan timbers. Malayan Forest Records No 15. 2 volumes. Malaya Publishing House Ltd., Singapore. 762 pp.
[364]Gamble, J.S., 1922. A manual of Indian timbers. 2nd edition. Sampsom Low, Marston & Company, London. 868 pp.
[373]Ginoga, B., 1978. Sifat fisis dan mekanis lima jenis kayu Jawa Barat [Physical and mechanical properties of five timber species from West Java]. Laporan No 107. Lembaga Penelitian Hasil Hutan, Bogor. 16 pp.
[436]Heyne, K., 1927. De nuttige planten van Nederlands-Indië [The useful plants of the Dutch East Indies]. 2nd edition, 3 volumes. Departement van Landbouw, Nijverheid en Handel in Nederlandsch-Indië. 1953 pp. (3rd edition, 1950. van Hoeve, 's-Gravenhage/Bandung. 1660 pp.).
[526]Kartasujana, I. & Martawijaya, A., 1979. Kayu perdagangan Indonesia - sifat dan kegunaannya [Commercial woods of Indonesia - their properties and uses]. Lembaga Penelitian Hasil Hutan, Bogor. 28 pp.
[558]Kiew, R., 1978. Notes on the systematy of Malayan Phanerogams XXV. Aquifoliaceae. Gardens' Bulletin, Singapore 31: 81-83.
[595]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.
[711]Loesener, T., 1942. Aquifoliaceae. In: Engler, A. & Prantl, K. (Editors): Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, 2nd edition. Band 20b. Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig. pp. 36-86.
[829]Ng, F.S.P., 1991-1992. Manual of forest fruits, seeds and seedlings. 2 volumes. Malayan Forest Record No 34. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong. 997 pp.
[861]Oey Djoen Seng, 1951. De soortelijke gewichten van Indonesische houtsoorten en hun betekenis voor de praktijk [Specific gravity of Indonesian woods and its significance for practical use]. Rapport No 46. Bosbouwproefstation, Bogor. 183 pp.
[933]Research Institute of Wood Industry, 1988. Identification, properties and uses of some Southeast Asian woods. Chinese Academy of Forestry, Wan Shou Shan, Beijing & International Tropical Timber Organization, Yokohama. 201 pp.
[974]Salvosa, F.M., 1963. Lexicon of Philippine trees. Bulletin No 1. Forest Products Research Institute, College, Laguna. 136 pp.
[1038]Smitinand, T., 1980. Thai plant names. Royal Forest Department, Bangkok. 379 pp.
[1221]Whitmore, T.C. & Ng, F.S.P. (Editors), 1972-1989. Tree flora of Malaya. A manual for foresters. 4 volumes. Malayan Forest Records No 26. Longman Malaysia Sdn. Berhad, Kuala Lumpur & Petaling Jaya.
[1242]Wong, T.M., 1982. A dictionary of Malaysian timbers. Malayan Forest Records No 30. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Kepong. 259 pp.

S.I. Wiselius

Ilex archboldiana
Ilex cymosa
Ilex ledermannii
Ilex macrophylla
Ilex maingayi

Wiselius, S.I., 1998. Ilex 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

The following species in this genus are important in this commodity group and are treated separatedly in this database:
Ilex archboldiana
Ilex cymosa
Ilex ledermannii
Ilex macrophylla
Ilex maingayi