5783

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

Mallotus Lour.

Fl. Cochinch.: 635 (1790).

EUPHORBIACEAE

x = 11; M. albus Müll. Arg.: n = 33, M. philippensis, M. repandus (Willd.) Müll. Arg., M. resinosus (Blanco) Merr.: n = 11

Indonesia: balik angin (general), tutup, walik angin (Javanese). Malaysia: balek angin (general), enserai (Sarawak), mallotus (Sabah). Philippines: banato (general), hinlaumo (Cebu and Panay Bisaya). Vietnam: ba b[es]t, b[uj]c b[uj]c, b[uf]ng b[uj]c.

Mallotus comprises about 150 species. Only 2 of these occur in Africa and Madagascar, the rest are found from India and Sri Lanka to Indo-China, China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, throughout the Malesian region, northern Australia and the Pacific (east to Fiji). Some 50 species are found within Malesia.

The wood of Mallotus is used for temporary construction (poles), non-striking tool handles, matches, disposable chopsticks, wooden shoes, packing cases, pegs and possibly for turnery articles. Due to its generally small size, the wood is probably more often used for particle board and fibreboard production, and for the production of pulp and paper. It yields a good firewood.
Some species are planted as live fences or as ornamentals and shade trees. In India M. philippensis is considered to be a valuable nurse tree for more important forest tree species, e.g. sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.). The fibrous bark is used to make rope and artificial fur. The fruits and bark have been reported to be used medicinally to treat stomach ulcers and tapeworm. Logs of M. paniculatus proved suitable for shiitake mushroom cultivation. The granules covering the fruit of M. philippensis provide a bright orange dye; a red dye has been extracted from the roots. Seeds of this species, and probably also of others, yield an oil used as a substitute for tung oil (obtained from Aleurites spp.), in the production of paint and varnish. The oil is also used as a fixative in cosmetic preparations and for colouring foodstuffs and beverages. All parts of this tree can be applied externally to treat parasitic infections of the skin. Several other species are reported to contain tannins. Leaves of several species are used to make tea. Flowers of M. floribundus are fragrant and used to flavour food and in decorations. Foliage of M. philippensis is used for fodder.

The wood of Mallotus is used on a local scale only, mainly because the logs are small.

Mallotus yields a lightweight to medium-weight hardwood with a density of 370-830 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. Heartwood straw-coloured or pale brown, not clearly differentiated from the sapwood; grain straight; texture moderately fine to slightly coarse, even. Growth rings indistinct or visible (e.g. M. muticus and M. philippensis) due to darker bands with little or no parenchyma; vessels medium-sized, solitary and in radial multiples of 2-10, occasionally in clusters of up to 4, often with a greater number of solitary vessels in comparison to other Euphorbiaceae spp., occasional tyloses present; parenchyma moderately abundant, apotracheal in narrow bands to diffuse to diffuse-in-aggregates; rays extremely fine or very fine, inconspicuous on radial surface; ripple marks absent; pith flecks sometimes present.
Shrinkage upon air drying is moderate (M. muticus) to very high (M. floribundus) with moderate risk of splitting, insect attack and staining, and with a slight risk of cupping, bowing and end-checking. It takes about 2 months and 3 months respectively to air dry boards of M. muticus 13 mm and 38 mm thick. The wood is soft to moderately hard and fairly weak to moderately strong. It is generally easy to work, but is reported to be difficult to resaw and cross-cut because it is fibrous; planing is easy to moderately easy giving a moderately smooth surface. The harder species (e.g. M. philippensis) are said to turn well. Durability is probably linked to the density of individual species and is classified as non-durable for the lighter species and slightly durable for the heavier ones. The wood is extremely easy to treat with preservatives. It is not resistant to termites and marine borers. The sapwood is susceptible to Lyctus.
See also the tables on microscopic wood anatomy and wood properties.

Evergreen, dioecious or rarely monoecious shrubs or small to medium-sized trees up to 25(-35) m tall; bole straight to sinuous, up to 50(-80) cm in diameter, occasionally with short or steep buttresses; bark thin, surface smooth, white or pale grey, inner bark fibrous, brown to reddish or dark red. Indumentum often of stellate hairs. Leaves arranged spirally or opposite, simple, entire, sometimes peltate, often whitish and with glandular granules below, venation pinnate or palmate; stipules small. Flowers in a terminal or axillary raceme or spike, unisexual; petals absent. Male flower with 3-4-lobed calyx; stamens numerous; disk absent, lobed or annular. Female flower with 3-5-lobed calyx; disk absent; ovary superior, (2-)3(-4)-locular with 1 ovule in each cell, styles elongate, simple or plumose. Fruit a lobed, thinly woody, smooth to echinate capsule, splitting into 2-valved parts and a persistant central column. Seed smooth, shiny black, sometimes with a small aril. Seedling with epigeal germination; cotyledons emergent, leafy; hypocotyl elongated; first few leaves arranged spirally, decussate higher up in species with opposite leaves.
In the Philippines a mean annual diameter increment of 1.4 cm has been recorded for M. philippensis trees in the diameter class 10-20 cm, whereas for M. mollissimus it is 1.7-1.9 cm and 3.6 cm for trees in the diameter classes 0-20 cm and 20-30 cm, respectively. In the Philippines M. philippensis flowers from March to April. M. philippensis has extrafloral nectaries attracting ants. The seeds of many Mallotus species are dispersed by birds.
Mallotus is closely related to Macaranga, the latter differing by its 3-4-celled anthers and more conspicuously by its lateral inflorescences and absence of stellate hairs.

Most Mallotus species occur in primary evergreen rain forest, but a few are abundant in secondary forest and in more open locations including savanna woodland, up to 2000 m altitude. They occur in dipterocarp, riverine and swamp forest. A few species (e.g. M. philippensis) are pioneers characteristic of secondary vegetation and may be gregarious elements in regenerated forest. They are among the first species appearing after fields are abandoned. Individual species have been found on a wide variety of soil types including limestone soils.

Mallotus can be propagated by seed; the only available seed count is for M. paniculatus having about 115 000 dry seeds/kg. Seeds of M. leucodermis still embedded in their aril have about 45% germination in 5-20 days, those of M. philippensis about 5% in 65-82 days. In India shade and adequate moisture are considered important for the production of seedlings. Most Mallotus species are light-demanding, but some need shade in the early phases of establishment. In India established M. philippensis is frost-hardy and resistant to drought and it coppices well and is capable of producing root suckers. M. philippensis is not resistant to fire.

As most Mallotus species are light-demanding and exhibit pioneer characteristics, they are at little risk of genetic erosion by deforestation.

It has been suggested to use M. philippensis to protect soil and simultaneously produce wood, possibly for pulp, wood-based panels or firewood. Since little is known about the silviculture of Mallotus species that have potential for reforestation or for plantation establishment, more research is needed on specific silvicultural aspects.

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Nguyen Nghia Thin & Tran Van On

Mallotus blumeanus
Mallotus floribundus
Mallotus leucodermis
Mallotus macrostachyus
Mallotus mollissimus
Mallotus muticus
Mallotus oblongifolius
Mallotus paniculatus
Mallotus philippensis
Mallotus subpeltatus
Mallotus tiliifolius

Thin, N.N. & On, T.V., 1998. Mallotus Lour.. 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:
Mallotus blumeanus
Mallotus floribundus
Mallotus leucodermis
Mallotus macrostachyus
Mallotus mollissimus
Mallotus muticus
Mallotus oblongifolius
Mallotus paniculatus
Mallotus philippensis
Mallotus subpeltatus
Mallotus tiliifolius