Chisocheton pentandrus (PROSEA)
Introduction |
Chisocheton pentandrus (Blanco) Merr.
- Family: Meliaceae
Synonyms
- Chisocheton beccarianus (Baill.) Harms,
- Chisocheton microcarpus Koord. & Valeton,
- Chisocheton spicatus Hiern.
Vernacular names
- Indonesia: kasai (Bengkulu)
- Malaysia: jerai, sentol kera (Peninsular)
- Philippines: katong-matsin, katong maching (general), ibo (Bisaya), bagolayak, kurabdab (Bikolano) widawid (Ilokano)
Distribution
Peninsular Thailand and throughout Malesia except for New Guinea.
Uses
In the Philippines, oil from the kernel of the seed is applied as a hair cosmetic. The tree is planted for landscaping and the wood is locally utilized as timber for light constructions. In traditional medicine in Indonesia, the bark is used to treat jaundice.
Observations
- A small to medium-sized tree, up to 18(-40) m tall and 40 cm in diameter; bole branchless for up to 10 m, sometimes buttressed in the lowest 60 cm.
- Leaves alternate, up to 45 cm long, pinnate with up to 9 pairs of leaflets, pseudo-gemmulate; petiole 2-10 cm, petiolules 5-8 mm long; leaflets elliptical to ovate-oblong, up to 16(-26) cm × 6(-9) cm, veins 8-16 on each side of midrib.
- Inflorescence spiciform to thyrsoid, axillary or supra-axillary, up to about 60 cm long with fragrant, pedicellate flowers 8-18 mm long; calyx cupular, about 4 mm long; petals usually 5, valvate, 8-16 mm × 2 mm, cream, densely pubescent outside; staminal tube white, bearing 5 anthers; ovary 2-locular, shortly stipitate.
- Fruit a 2-seeded capsule, globose or beaked, up to 2 cm in diameter, dull red, minutely tomentose, pericarp containing white latex.
- Seed flattened globose, up to 15 mm in diameter, covered with a sarcotesta.
C. pentandrus occurs in wet to drier lowland forest, up to about 500 m altitude. Based on differences in size, number and form of veins, inflorescences, flowers and fruits, 3 subspecies have been distinguished, which are without practical value because numerous intermediates exist. In drier circumstances the number of veins tends to be larger, the inflorescences more branched but the flowers smaller.
Selected sources
18, 42, 59, 101, 127, 135. oils