Tree of the month (PART 1) DAO

Physical Characteristics

Dao is a native tree that reaches 40 meters high and 90 centimeters in diameter at breast height.

The base of the stem is prominently buttressed. The outer bark is light gray to reddish gray in color. It is smooth, flaky, slightly slippery in character and moderately thick (about six to 10 millimeters). It resembles more or less that of the mahogany bark. Inner bark is purplish in color and stringy in texture when cut.

The leaves are evergreen, alternate, and compound, resembling the leaves of lamio. The leaves of the seedlings are covered with short hairs in the dorsal surface, serrated when young. Leaves of mature trees have no hairs and become smooth glossy, light green in color, with a straight margin. They taste sour—the characteristic that distinguishes it from lamio. Each leaf is about 17 to 18 centimeters in length. The leaflets are 15 centimeters in length and from three to four centimeters wide.

Flowers are yellowish red, in large cluster, and practically odorless.

Fruits are rounded about 2.5 centimeters in diameter, with a leathery rind, juicy and sour; the endocarp is very hard and usually containing three seeds. The bat-adapted fruits have a strong musty odor and their color is duller than those of bird-dispersed ones. The fruits ripen on the tree and at a distance from the foliage. It attracts visits by bats.

Locations

Dao occurs in primary or secondary, evergreen, or semi-deciduous (monsoon) forest at low altitude in areas with high rainfall or less and frequently in areas with a short dry season. It is found scattered on well drained to poorly drained clay to stony soils, mainly alluvial flats and swampy areas.

Method of propagation

Propagation of dao is usually by seed. Trees can also be established by direct sowing and wildlings because it regenerates easily.

Tree Management

The species of dao grow moderately. Young trees reach a height of three to four meters after two years and 6.5 meters after 5.5 years. In trial plantations with a spacing of 1 m x 3 m, the canopy closes after eight years. The tree tolerates shade. Since natural pruning is good, artificial pruning is seldom necessary. Logs should be sprayed with insecticides to prevent attacks by bostrychid beetles.

Traditional use:

The bark of dao is occasionally used in traditional medicine against dysentery.

Contemporary use:

The wood of dao is use in light construction like bancas, rafters, and furniture. It can also be utilized for sliced ant rotary veneers, cabinet works, tables, crates, boxes, and matches. It is also used to make furniture, plywood, interior trim, and light frames.

Young leaves and mature fruits are edible. The fruit is considered inferior and is mostly eaten by children. The kernel of the seed is also edible. Flowers and leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable in Papua New Guinea, and used as food flavoring in the Moluccas.

The tree is used for firewood. It is one among the main sources of timber in the country.

The dao tree is planted as an ornamental in roadside plantings.

How to plant your dao 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 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm. 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 dao seedling

Remove grass 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 grass, 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.

Data about native tree species are featured by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. For suggestions, email [email protected].