Membalo
Dysoxylum acutangulum

Family: Meliaceae

What it is like

Dysoxylum acutangulum is an upper canopy tree that grows up to 47 m in height with a straight, buttressed bole that can be branchless for up to 18 m and up to 140 cm in diameter. It can be found in Southeast Asia. The seeds are poisonous containing dysoxylum acid. The wood is strong and hard. It is used for furniture, Chinese coffins, and construction.

Dysoxylum acutangulum is an evergreen Tree growing to 40 m (131ft) by 30 m (98ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 40

Where it is found

An upper canopy tree in undisturbed lowland and hill forest, growing on hillsides and ridges with sandy soils; at elevations up to 1,000 metres.

Southeast Asia - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia to New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Australia.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 4

Other Uses: The sapwood is orange-brown. The wood is strong, hard and very beautiful. The wood of the bole, and particularly of the buttresses, is beautifully marked but difficult to work. An important timber tree, used mainly for furniture, it is also used for Chinese coffins and construction. The wood is suitable for medium to heavy construction work, planking, flooring, panelling, and for manufacturing high grade furniture, wood pallets, veneer and plywood. We have no more specific information on the wood of this species, but it is one of a group of species that are the source of a commercial timber known in the trade as 'jarum-jarum'. The general description of jarum-jarum is as follows: The heartwood is orange-red to brick red when fresh, darkening on exposure; it is clearly demarcated from the yellow sapwood. The texture is moderately coarse but uneven due to the abundant of parenchyma; the grain is straight, interlocked, wavy or irregular; there is a watersilk marking on flat-sawn surfaces due to the parenchyma bands. The wood is moderately hard to hard. It is used for purposes such as flooring, furniture, wall panelling, solid door construction, veneer and plywood.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

How it is grown

A rainforest tree prefering sandy soils. Members of the genus are dioecious, in which case both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Propagating it: Seed -

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

The seeds are poisonous and contain dysoxylum acid.

Its other names

Local names

Ngersaweran - Aru Islands, Langkang - Borneo, Ambalo, Ambalun, Membalo - Sumatra, angular Dysoxylum

Synonyms

Alliaria acutangula (Miq.) Kuntze Alliaria schultzii (C.DC.) Kuntze Dysoxylum foveolatum Radlk. Dyso