Tree of the Month (part 2) Lanipga - Toona ciliate

Physical Characteristics

Lanipga is a large deciduous tree with a spreading crown, commonly attaining a height of 20 to 30 meters, and a girth of 1.8 to three meters.

Its bark is dark grey or reddish-brown, smooth up to middle age but becomes rough afterwards with shallow reticulate cracks exfoliating in irregular woody scales.

Lanipga leaves are 30 to 50 centimeters long, usually imparipinnate, sometimes paripinnate by the abortion of the terminal leaflet.

Leaflets may be opposite or alternate and measures 5-15 x 2-6 centimeters each. They could be lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate. Its margin may be entire or wavy, with an oblique base.

Flowers of lanipga are small, honey scented, and cream colored.

The calyx is divided nearly to the base. Each petal measures five millimeters long and has ciliate margins.

The fruit is a capsule, dark brown, and measures 1.8 to 2.5 centimeters long including the wing.

Distribution 

T. ciliata grows in moist localities such as ravines, banks of streams, and even swamps. It grows best in abandoned areas and in small gaps in forest. It does not do well on dry hill slopes.

Method of Propagation

Natural regeneration is profuse even in areas outside its natural range. Good natural reproduction can be induced by clearing the ground in the vicinity of seed bearers. For a high germination percentage, the seeds are best collected off the tree.

It is best propagated artificially by planting two-season-old stumps. Germination takes eight to 15 days and fresh seed have a germination rate of five to 80 percent.

Seeds germinate quicker and better under shade and should be broadcast thinly on raised and shaded nursery beds soon after collection

Contemporary Use

Timber produced by lanipga has moderate weight, strength, and hardness. The wood has a variety of uses from boat building, cabinet making, to making cigar boxes or matchboxes, decorative plywood and veneer, food containers, furniture, interior trim, joinery, musical instruments, ornamentals, panels, boxes, and crates.

Building machining operations made from its wood has been reported to cause dermatitis in some individuals.

The flowers contain a red coloring matter and also sulfur-colored dye. Cotton and woolen fabric can be dyed a dull yellow by mere immersion in a boiling extract of lanipga flowers.

The flowers are used in conjunction with safflower and turmeric to produce a sulfur yellow color. Bark contains tannin, and it has also been used traditionally for twines and the manufacture of string bags.

Traditional Use

The bark is used medicinally for treating dysentery and healing wounds.

How to plant your lanipga 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, maintain a two-meter distance between seedlings if they are planted in a row of a three-meter distance from one strip to the next strip.

How to take care of your lanipga seedling

Remove grass and other unwanted vegetation and cultivate the soil around the base of the seedling (50-centimeter radius) once in every quarter for two to three years. Place mulch around the base of the seedling (maintaining the 50-centimeter 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]. Learn about other native trees, visit www.rafi.org.ph/greenin-philippines.