Anisoptera thurifera Physical Characteristics

CEBU, Philippines - Palosapis reaches a height of 40 to 45 meters and a diameter of 140 to 180 centimeters. It has a straight, regular, unbuttressed bole that is three-fifths to two-thirds of the height of the tree. The canopy is dense during the rainy season and open in the dry, at which time it changes leaves.

The bark is from 15 to 25 millimeters thick. In young trees, the bark is smooth and has a yellow tinge. The bark beneath the surface has a reddish-brown color while the inner bark is granular brownish-yellow. The granular coloring is due to broken, concentric rings of yellow.

The leaves are alternate, rounded at the base, pointed at the tip, and grows from 7.5 to 16 centimeters long, and from three to seven centimeters wide.

The fruit is rounded. It grows from four to 15 millimeters in diameter and has two wings, which are five to nine centimeters long, and sometimes, more than a centimeter broad.

Distribution

Palosapis is endemic. It can be found in evergreen and semi-evergreen dipterocarp forests below 750 meters. It is common and often gregarious, regenerating in secondary forests in primary forests in low altitudes, and also along streams in some secondary forests.

This species is common and widely distributed in the Philippines. It has been reported to have thrived in the following areas: Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Pangasinan, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Bataan, Rizal, Laguna, Tayabas, Camarines, Albay, Sibuyan Island, Capiz, Iloilo, Ticao Island, Samar, Masbate, Zamboanga.

Anisoptera thurifera is the commonest and best known species of the genus in the Philippines, but the wood is known commercially as palosapis. It ranks about tenth in order of abundance among the Philippine woods and marks up about 1.5 per cent of the volume of the forests in the early 1990s.

Contemporary Uses

Resinous oil, frequently known as the oil of palosapis, is obtained from the trunk of this species. The resin is very similar to balau from Dipterocarpus grandiflorus, is obtained in the same manner, and is used for the same purposes.

Its seeds are pounded and eaten raw or roasted.

 The wood is good for interior finish, ship planking, vehicle work and automobile bodies, furniture making, veneer and plywood, and general construction.

Traditional Uses

Palosapis wood extractives have tumor-inhibiting factor.

How to plant your palosapis 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 palosapis 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, e-mail [email protected].