Native tree of the month: Mamalis

Its scientific name is  Pittosporum pentan drum.

Physical Properties

The Mamalis can reach up to 20 meters in height. The leaves are long, about six to 15 centimeters in length and two centimeters in width, which gradually tapers at the end. The flowers are white and fragrant. The fruit when fresh is somewhat spherical—around six to eight millimeters in diameter—pale yellow in color, and has eight flattened brown seeds.

Uses

In Cebu, the wood of the Mamalis is used for novelty items and fashion accessories, such as anklets, bracelets, necklaces and beads, which are exported to Japan, Europe and United States. A one-meter wood of this tree usually costs Php 20 to Php 35.

The wood can also be manufactured into bobbins, spindles, tennis rackets and even lollipop sticks and toothpicks. It is also ideal for pulp and papermaking.

Women use the extract brewed from the leaves in this tree as an aromatic bath after childbirth. The powdered bark can reduce fever and cure bonchitis if taken in small doses. The upland farmers of Tabuelan, Cebu and Loay, Bohol use the leaves as animal feed.

Known as pangantoon or pangantoan in Cebu, this tree thrives in thickets and second-growth forests of medium and low altitudes.

This tree is known to be drought-resistant and can be considered a good reforestation tree in areas with grasses and weeds since it can withstand growth competition. It can suppress the growth of the grasses in its surrounding as it grows, thereby improving good soil cover and assist in the rehabilitation of the area.

Considerable labor is involved in the collection of its small fruits, which can produce oil with a pleasant smell.

Location

Mamalis can be found in Guimaras Island, Cebu, Bohol and Zambales.

How to Propagate Mamalis

Choose fruits that have already turned yellow and dry under the sun. When the fruits had already turned dry and cracks have formed, scrape the seeds inside the fruit. Since the seeds are tiny, ensure that the container for storing seed has no holes.

Prepare the soil by sterilizing it first. This will kill the bacteria and fungi in the soil and the seeds will germinate healthily on the substrate. Cover the seeds with one-centimeter thick of soil.

Water the seeds everyday by sprinkling a small amount of water just enough to wet the soil. Make sure that the holes of the sprinkler are small enough so that the water will flow gently down the soil.

The seeds will germinate after one or two weeks. When the seedlings have reach 1 inch in height, they are now ready to be pricked out of the germination bed. Do not directly uproot the seedlings from its stem. Insert a piece of thin wood the seedlings and lift the soil—this will separate the loose soil from the roots. Transfer the pricked seedlings directly to a seedling bag containing soil. It will take six months for the seedlings to be ready for outplanting.

How to plant your  Mamalis Seedling

Clear the area where you want to plant your seedling with unwanted weeds and debris. Make sure that a one-meter radius is kept free from other vegetation. Dig a plant hole with dimensions of at least 20cm x 20cm x 20cm. Plant the seedling at proper depth. Root collar should be at level with or a little below the ground surface with the seedling oriented upward. Fill the hole with top or garden soil and press soil firmly around the base of the seedling. In plantation-making, seedlings should maintain a two-meter distance between seedlings if planted in a row of a three-meter distance from one strip to the next strip.

How to take care of your Mamalis Seedling

Remove grasses and other unwanted vegetation and cultivate the soil around the base of the seedling (50 cm radius) once in every quarter for two to three years. Place mulch around the base of the seedling (maintaining the 50 cm radius and using cut grasses, leaves and other suitable materials as mulch base). Prune the branches at most 50 percent of the crown depth, preferably during dry season, and ensure that when pruning, you do not injure the bark. Remove infected or infested vegetation nearby to stop plant diseases from spreading and contaminating your seedling. Monitor regularly the growth of the seedling for presence of pests and diseases.