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Alexandrian Laurel (Calophyllum inophyllum)

Dlium Alexandrian Laurel (Calophyllum inophyllum)

Alexandrian Laurel (Calophyllum inophyllum) is a species of plant in the Calophyllaceae family. It is a low-branching, slow-growing, spreading tree with a wide, irregular crown. It grows up to 30 meters tall, has a cylindrical trunk, and thick, black, and fissured bark.

The leaves are thick, oval, with rounded tips, even margins, and a smooth surface. The upper side is dark green and glossy, the underside is bright green, with a central vein in bright green. The leaves are up to 27 cm long, 13 cm wide, and have a 1 cm petiole.



Flowers bloom throughout the year, but typically from April to June and October to December. Flowers are 30 mm in diameter and occur in racemose or paniculate inflorescences of four to 15 flowers. The flowers have a sweet aroma and attract numerous pollinating insects.

The fruit is round, green, up to 4 cm in diameter, with a large seed in the center. When ripe, the fruit wrinkles and turns yellow to brownish. The fruit is light, with thin, spongy flesh and a flavor similar to apple.

This species thrives on sandy and rocky coasts. The bark is used medicinally. The hardwood is used for boat and ship mast construction. The fruit is used as a biofuel feedstock with a yield of up to 74%, and its use does not compete with food needs.

This tree regenerates easily and bears fruit year-round, has a high survival rate, and is easily cultivated in dry climates. Almost all parts of the plant can be utilized, producing a variety of products with economic value.

Forest stands serve as windbreaks for agriculture and coastal conservation. This tree can reduce the rate of deforestation for firewood due to its higher seed productivity compared to other species. It is suitable for peatland restoration to increase the productivity of degraded land and as a preventative measure against forest and land fires.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Calophyllaceae
Genus: Calophyllum L. in Sp. Pl.: 513 (1753)
Species: Calophyllum inophyllum L. in Sp. Pl.: 513 (1753)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Balsamaria inophyllum Lour. in Fl. Cochinch.: 470 (1790)
Calophyllum apetalum Blanco in Fl. Filip., ed. 2.: 429 (1845).
Calophyllum bintagor Roxb. in Hort. Bengal.: 41 (1814)
Calophyllum blumei Wight in Ill. Ind. Bot. 1: 128 (1840)
Calophyllum inophyllum f. oblongata Miq. in Pl. Jungh.: 291 (1854)
Calophyllum inophyllum f. obovata Miq. (1854)
Calophyllum inophyllum var. takamaka Fosberg in Kew Bull. 29: 255 (1974)
Calophyllum inophyllum var. wakamatsui (Kaneh.) Fosberg & Sachet in Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 45: 12 (1980)
Calophyllum ovatifolium Noronha in Verh. Batav. Genootsch. Kunsten 5(4): 13 (1790)
Calophyllum wakamatsui Kaneh. in Bot. Mag. (Tokyo) 48: 401 (1934)

PUBLICATIONS

Banks, R.C. (ed.) (1982). Wildlife and wildlife habitat of American Samoa 2: 1-151. U.S. Fisch and Wildlife services, Washington.

Florence, J. (2004). Flore de la Polynésie Française 2: 1-503. IRD editions, Paris.

Fosberg, F.R., Sachet, M.-H., Oliver, R. (1979). A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae. Micronesica; Journal of the College of Guam 15: 41-295.

George, A.S., Orchard, A.E. & Hewson, H.J. (eds.) (1993). Oceanic islands 2. Flora of Australia 50: 1-606. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Hancock, I.R. & Henderson, C.P. (1988). Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin Dodo Creek Research Station 7: 1-203.

Kitalong, A.H., DeMeo, R.A. & Holm, T. (2008). Native Trees Palau. A field guide: 1-236.

Parham, B.E.V. (1971). The Vegetation of the Tokelau Islands with special reference to the plants of Nukunonu Atoll. New Zealand Journal of Botany 9: 576-609.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.

Thaman, R.R., Fosberg, F.R., Manner, H.I. & Hassall, D.C. (1994). The Flora of Nauru. Atoll Research Bulletin 392: 1-223.

Turner, I.M. (1995). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(1): 1-346.

Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Woodroffe, C.D. (1985). Vegetation and flora of Nui Atoll, Tuvalu. Atoll Research Bulletin 283: 1-18.

VERNACULAR NAME

Australia: Beach calophyllum
Carolinian: Raghisch
Chamorro: Da'ok
Chinese (simplified): 红厚壳
Chinese (traditional): 瓊崖海棠 - 紅厚殼
Cook Island Maori: Tamanu
English: Alexandrian Laurel, Balltree, Beach calophyllum, Tamanu
French: Takamaka, Tamanou du bord de mer
Hawaiian: Kamani
Indonesian: Nyamplung
Japanese: テリハボク
Malagasy: Foraha
Marathi: उंडी
Marshallese: Jiro
New Caledonia: Tamanou du bord de mer
Palauan: Btaches
Polish: Gumiak tamanu
Russian: Калофиллум волокнистолистный
Slovak: Krásnolist lekársky
Spanish: María grande
Thai: กระทิง
Tonga: Feta'u

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
Web: https://www.dlium.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium
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