MALAS (Parastemon urophyllus)
Trade Name
Malas
Scientific Name
Parastemon urophyllus (Wallich ex A. DC.) A. DC.
Family
CHRYSOBALANACEAE
Common Names
Sempalawan; Nyalas; Ngilas; Mendailes; Melas; Mandailas; Kaju melas; Anggilas; Pink beam; Malas; Mengilas (Sarawak); Tempalawan (Brunei Darussalam); Mengilas (Malaysia)
Scientific Name Synonyms
Parastemon spicatus Ridley
Description Of The Tree
Botanical Description
It is a tree up to 40 m tall, often with small buttresses. The bole is cylindrical, branchless for 20 m, from 70 up to 180 cm in diameter.
Natural Habitat
Parastemon urophyllus is common along seashores and in primary, but more often in secondary forests. It is a typical component of peat swamps or fresh water swamp forests, growing on poor soils up to 700 m of altitude.
Natural Distribution
It occurs on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.
Wood Identification
Anatomic Description Of Wood
Wood diffuse porous. Vessels in diagonal and/or radial pattern. Vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Vessels of two distinct diameter classes, wood not ring-porous. Occasionally tangential diameter of vessel lumina 200 micras or more. Vessels per mm2 less Occasionally apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. Occasionally paratracheal axial parenchyma scanty and/or vasicentric. Prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma cells and/or in fibers. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. Rays more than 10 per mm (abundant). Occasionally rays exclusively uniseriate. Occasionally body ray cells procumbent with mostly 2 to 4 rows of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-II). Occasionally body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright a Fibers very thick walled. Fibers with distinctly bordered pits.
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Wood Macro Photo Tangential Plane
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Wood Micro Photo Of Transversal Section
Availability
Cites Status
Unrestricted
General Wood Description
Color
The sapwood is not clearly differentiated from the red brown heartwood that turns pale brown on exposure.
COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)
4
Grain
The grain is straight or slightly interlocked.
Texture
This wood has a somewhat medium texture.
Natural Durability
It is reported as moderately durable, but it is fairly resistant to teredo and other marine organisms.
Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)
3
Silica Content
Silica Content: Silica is present. Amounts over 0.05% may affect wood processing. Silica Value: 1
Wood Physical Properties
Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)
0.88
Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)
1.03
Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
14.2
Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)
8.8
Drying Defects
Ease of Drying: It takes 5 months to air dry boards 40 mm thick. Drying Defects: It is subject to warping, particularly in case of back-sawn boards. Distortion and surface checking are also reported, although not severe considering its density.
Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)
1.6
Wood Chemical Properties
Wood Mechanical Properties
Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)
1617
Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
212024
Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
799
Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)
160
Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)
1211
Janka hardness (end grain) 12%MC (kgf)
1292
Workability
Sawing
The wood contains a considerable amount of silica.
Blunting Effect
Wood of this species has a severe blunting effect.
Planing
It can be planed to a smooth surface.
Nailing
This wood is difficult to nail, it needs pre-boring.
REFERENCED USES
End Uses Summary
EXTERIOR GENERAL, bridges, poles, stakes posts, crossties, HOUSING GENERAL, flooring, SPORTS, TOOLS, agricultural tools, CONTAINERS, truck bodies, truck flooring, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, boats, port pillar
Exterior General
- 1 - Tabela de resultados de ensaios fisicos e mecanicos
Bridges
- 2 - 25 madeiras da amazonia de valor comercial, caracterizacao, macroscopica, usos comuns e indices qualificativos
Poles
- 3 - Estudo dendrologico e determinacao das caracteristicas fisicas e mecanicas do genipapo (Genipa americana)
Stake Posts
- 5 - Propriedades fisicas e mecanicas da madeira e do contraplacado de Pinus elliottii
Crossties
- 8 - Maderas latinoamericas. III, Podocarpus standleyi ,Podocarpus oleifolius, Drims granadensis, Magnolia poasana y Didymopanax pittieri
General Housing
- 10 - Silica in Timbers
Flooring
- 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Sports
- 38 - Annual Review and Assessment of the World Timber Situation 1998-ITTO
Tools
- 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Agricultural Tools
- 44 - Atlas of Peruvian Woods
Truck Body
- 53 - Timbers of the New World
Truck Flooring
- 54 - Bulletin of the Government Forest Experiment Station N.157: Identification of Tropical Woods
Shipbuilding
- 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Boats
- 56 - Manual de Identificación de Especies Forestales de la Subregión Andina.
Port Pillar
- 61 - Manual de Diseño para Maderas del Grupo Andino
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