Everything about Calophyllum totally explained
Calophyllum ("beautiful leaf", from
Greek kalos, "beautiful", and
phullon, "leaf") is a
plant genus of around 180-200
species of
tropical evergreen trees in the
family Clusiaceae. Its members are native to
Madagascar,
Eastern Africa,
South and
Southeast Asia (
Pakistan east to
Vietnam and
Indonesia), the
Pacific islands, the
West Indies and
Latin America. The common names, as well as commercial names, for these trees are:
- teitai (in Kiribati),
- Feta'u (in Tonga),
- Bintangor tree (in Malaysia) and
- Poon tree (in India),
- Guanandi, Jacareuba or Santa Maria (in Latin America).
For medicinal (folk medicine and ethnopharmacology) uses of leaves, oil from nuts and crost balsam, for HIV and AIDS, see calanolide A and calanolide B, Jacareubin, Tamanu oil, and Calophyllic acid. For medicinal use from their resin, see tacamahac.
Habitat
These species grow in a wide number of
habitats, from ridges in mountain forests to coastal
swamps, lowland forest and even
coral cays. They are large
hardwoods, attaining 30 m in height and 0.8 m in diameter. It presents shiny and leathery leaves. The tree bark is grey or white and decorticates in large thin strips. The
wood is light in weight, the
heartwood pink-red, or almost brown, while the sapwood varies from species to species, often from yellow, brown (often with pink tints) to orange. Species occurring in
Papua New Guinea are often
buttressed.
Uses
Several species have been found to contain naturally occurring
calanolides in various quantities.
The lightweight hardwood of these species is used in boatmaking for
masts and
spars, as well as in luxury furniture and flooring.
Symbolism
The Calophyllum is a national symbol of the
Pacific nation of
Nauru, appearing on the national coat of arms.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Calophyllum'.
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