Calophyllum polyanthum Wallich ex Choisy (GUTTIFERACEAE)
Common names:
English: Poonspar or Sirpoon tree.
Kannada: Kuve, Siriponne.
Tamil: Katta pinnei, Pongu.
Malayalam: Katta pinna, Pinnapai.
Description: Trees, 7-45 m tall; bark yellow, grey to brown or balck, exfoliating in longitudinal, oblong flakes. Leaves opposite, ovate to elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 10-15 x 3-4 cm, acute or cuneate at base, obtuse or acute to acuminate at apex, shiny, coriaceous, glabrous, sparsely puberulous on prominent midrib when young; lateral veins minute, distinct on both surfaces, horizontal, nearly perpendicular to midrib; petioles canaliculated above; young leaves red. Flowers in simple or paniculate terminal and axillary ca 16 cm long racemes, 1-2 cm in diam., polygamous, yellowish, fragrant. Sepals 4. Petals 4. Stamens numerous (140-320), yellow. Ovary ovoid, 1-loculed with 1 ovule. The fruit is a drupe, ranging from subglobose to ovoid or subovoid, measuring 2.3-3 x 2 cm across, smooth in texture, and appears yellow or dark purple when ripe. The seed is either elliptic or ovoid and brown in color.
Flowering & Fruiting: January – July.
Distribution: India: Tropical wet evergreen forests. Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.Thailand, South Western China.
Uses: The fruit is edible. Seed oil is used for illuminating purposes. Wood reddish white to light reddish brown with darker streaks, antitermitic, used to furnish poonspars of commerce (which are used for masts), ceiling boards, rafters, planking, cheap furniture, ship building, bridge building and general construction. The timber is also used for making tea-chests, tent poles and mathematical instruments.