TREE OF THE MONTH (PART 1) Bakauan Babae Rhizophora mucronata (Lam.)

Physical Characteristics

Bakauan babae is a medium tree reaching a height of up to 27 meters and 70 centimeters in diameter at breast height.

Leaves are leathery, opposite, mucronate apex, and oblong. They measure 10.5-16.5 centimeters long and are 5.1-8.0 centimeters wide. Stipules and petioles of the species are yellowish green.

Flower stalks are long and slender.

Fruit is pear-shaped, tapering to the distal end with slight vertical grooves in the proximal bulbous portion and slightly rough. Calyx lobes are rounded and blunt. Hypocotyls are cylindrical, elongated, smooth, and green with brown lenticels and pointed root tip. The hypocotyl measures 40-80 centimeters at the widest portion, though only 0.8-12 centimeter wide at the collar. 

Locations

Bakauan babae is abundant throughout the Philippines. It occurs with closer association to Bakauan lalaki (R. apiculata). Supply is abundant except in mangrove swamps close to settlements.

Method of Propagation

Bakauan babae can be propagated by propagules, wildlings, and potted seedlings.

Tree Management

Bakauan babae grows moderately and more tolerant to sandy and firmer bottoms than bakauan lalaki. It can survive complete by daily tidal changes. Growing only from the tips of the branches, this species is often killed by indiscriminate lopping of branches. Crabs, great enemies of the seedlings, may damage starting plantations. Drying the seedlings in the shade a few days before planting seems to make them much less attractive to crabs, perhaps due to a build-up of tannin.

Traditional Uses

Old leaves of Bakauan babae found floating in Pulai River in Malaysia is given in decoction at childbirth. Leaves are prescribed for fever. The honey collected from the flowers of this tree is reputed to be of poisonous nature, and is probably endowed with some deleterious principle. This tree is a folk remedy for angina, diabetes, diarrhea, dysentery, hematuria, and hemorrhage. Leaves are poulticed onto armored fish injury. Indo-Chinese uses the roots for angina and hemorrhage.

Contemporary Uses

The timber of Bakauan babae is used for firewood and charcoal. Tannin obtained from the bark is used for tanning and dyeing. In Malaya, poles are in considerate demand as piles and as frames of houses in and out the swamps. It is also used for fish traps. Mangrove was the main fuel in the Philippines until World War II. One great advantage of this tree in the eyes of firewood dealers is the ease with which the wood is split. Fruits can be eaten raw and young shoots cooked and eaten as greens. Nectar produced honey and fermented fruits produce wine. In Indonesia, the bark of the plant’s crop roots and fruit sap are used as mosquito repellant.

How to plant your bakauan babae 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 bakauan babae 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 comments and suggestions, email [email protected].