5713

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

Lepisanthes Blume

Bijdr. fl. Ned. Ind. 5: 237 (1825).

SAPINDACEAE

x = 13, 14, 15; L. rubiginosa, L. tetraphylla: 2n = 26, L. senegalensis: 2n = 28, 30

Indonesia: katilayu (Javanese), ki layu (Sundanese). Malaysia: mertajam (Peninsular).

Lepisanthes comprises 24 species and is found in tropical Africa, Madagascar, and from Sri Lanka and India to Indo-China, southern China, Thailand, throughout the Malesian region towards north-western Australia. Within Malesia 16 species are found; Borneo is the richest in species.

The wood of Lepisanthes is used for house posts and occasionally for rice pounders and tool handles. It is also used as firewood.
Several species possess edible fruits. The young leaves of L. rubiginosa may be eaten as a vegetable. A decoction of its roots and leaves, occasionally also of fruits and seeds, is used medicinally against fever. Its astringent but sweet fruits are relished as a titbit, mainly by children. In the Philippines the leaves are also used for animal health care. The fruits and bark have been used as a soap or to make shampoo.

Lepisanthes wood is used on a local scale only. There are no records of any commercial trade.

Lepisanthes yields a medium-weight hardwood with a density of 580-790 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. Heartwood dark pinkish-brown to deep red-brown or yellowish, sharply demarcated from the up to 1.3 cm wide, pale purplish-brown sapwood; grain straight; texture fine and even. Growth rings indistinct; vessels moderately small to medium-sized, solitary and in radial multiples of 2-3, with occasional white deposits; parenchyma sparse, paratracheal vasicentric with tendency to aliform, and apotracheal in bands, distinct; rays moderately fine to medium-sized, visible to the naked eye; ripple marks absent.
The wood is hard and strong. It is non-durable when exposed to the weather or in contact with the ground. The sapwood is susceptible to Lyctus.
See also the table on microscopic wood anatomy.

Evergreen or deciduous, usually monoecious shrubs or small to medium-sized trees up to 20(-30) m tall; bole usually short and often poorly shaped, up to 60 cm in diameter, without buttresses; bark surface greyish. Leaves arranged spirally, simple to imparipinnate or paripinnate, 1- to more than 40-jugate, pseudo-stipules sometimes present; leaflets opposite or alternate, entire. Inflorescence terminal, axillary, ramiflorous or cauliflorous. Flowers unisexual; sepals (3-)4-5(-6), free, often at least the inner ones petaloid; petals (3-)4-5(-7), often distinctly clawed and with a scale inside; disk interrupted or entire. Male flower with (4-)8(-18) stamens. Female flower with a superior, 2-3(-4)-locular ovary with 1 ovule in each cell, stigma sometimes sessile, slightly lobed. Fruit drupaceous, slightly to distinctly lobed. Seed shining brown or black, without an arillode. The seedling of L. rubiginosa shows hypogeal germination; cotyledons not emergent; hypocotyl not elongated; epicotyl with a pair of opposite, 3-foliolate leaves, subsequent ones pinnate and arranged spirally. The seedling of L. senegalensis differs in having the first few leaves simple, later ones 3-foliolate and subsequent ones pinnate.
L. rubiginosa flowers and fruits almost throughout the year, but preferably after a dry period. L. senegalensis flowers mainly from July-November and bears fruit from January to April. L. tetraphylla flowers and fruits almost throughout the year. The flowers are pollinated by insects, mainly bees. The seeds are eaten and dispersed by birds.
Lepisanthes has been divided into 4 subgenera, more or less coinciding with formerly recognized genera. These are subgenus Lepisanthes (genera Lepisanthes and Hebecoccus), subgenus Otophora (Blume) Leenh. (genus Otophora), subgenus Erioglossum (Blume) Leenh. (genus Erioglossum) and subgenus Aphania (Blume) Leenh. (genus Aphania).

The timber-yielding Lepisanthes species have a wide ecological amplitude. They are found in primary and secondary forest but also in forest edges, escarpments, river banks and more open localities, L. rubiginosa even along the inner fringe of mangrove forest. They occur in areas with seasonal or perhumid conditions, in dry as well as swampy localities, on a wide range of soils including limestone, up to 1200(-1400) m altitude.

Lepisanthes may be raised from seed. Sown seeds or fruits of L. rubiginosa have 90% to almost 100% germination in 9-23 days and seeds of L. senegalensis have 80-95% germination in 10-32 days, but sown fruits have only about 45% germination in 11-31 days. L. rubiginosa is not fire-resistant and does not tolerate a periodically high groundwater table. In southern China L. rubiginosa is a major weed in pastures.

There are no records of ex situ conservation of Lepisanthes. Because all timber-yielding species are widespread, they do not seem to be endangered.

As Lepisanthes wood is not available in large sizes or in sufficient quantities, it is unlikely that its use will increase in the near future.

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E. Boer (general part), M.S.M. Sosef (general part, selection of species)

Lepisanthes rubiginosa
Lepisanthes senegalensis
Lepisanthes tetraphylla

Boer, E. & Sosef, M.S.M., 1998. Lepisanthes Blume. 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:
Lepisanthes rubiginosa
Lepisanthes senegalensis
Lepisanthes tetraphylla