Calophyllum

''Calophyllum'' is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae. They are mainly distributed in Asia, with some species in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands.

History

Members of the genus ''Calophyllum'' native to Malaysia and Wallacea are of particular importance to traditional shipbuilding of the larger Austronesian outrigger ships and were carried with them in the Austronesian expansion as they migrated to Oceania and Madagascar. They were comparable in importance to how oaks were in European shipbuilding and timber industries. The most notable species is the mastwood (''Calophyllum inophyllum'') which grows readily in the sandy and rocky beaches of the island environments that the Austronesians colonized.

Description

''Calophyllum'' are trees or shrubs. They produce a colorless, white, or yellow latex. The oppositely arranged leaves have leathery blades often borne on petioles. The leaves are distinctive, with narrow parallel veins alternating with resin canals. The inflorescence is a cyme or a thyrse of flowers that grows from the leaf axils or at the ends of branches. In the flower the sepals and petals may look similar and are arranged in whorls. There are many stamens. The fruit is a drupe with thin layers of flesh over a large seed.

Uses

Many species are used for their wood. Some are hardwood trees that can reach 30 meters in height. They tend to grow rapidly. The outer sapwood is yellowish, yellow-brown, or orange, sometimes with a pink tinge, and the inner heartwood is light reddish to red-brown. The wood has a streaked, ribboned, or zig-zag grain. The wood has been used to build boats, flooring, and furniture, and made into plywood. ''Calophyllum'' wood may be sold under the name bitangor, and the species may be used interchangeably; one shipment may contain boards from several different species.Friday, J. B. and R. Ogoshi
Farm and Forestry Production and Marketing Profile for Tamanu (''Calophyllum inophyllum'').
In: Elevitch, C. R. (ed.) Specialty Crops for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Permanent Agriculture Resources. Holualoa, Hawaii. 2011.

Plants of the genus are also known for their chemistry, with a variety of secondary metabolites isolated, such as coumarins, xanthones, flavonoids, and triterpenes. Compounds from the genus have been reported to have cytotoxic, anti- HIV, antisecretory, cytoprotective, antinociceptive, molluscicidal, and antimicrobial properties. Some plants are used in folk medicine to treat conditions such as peptic ulcers, tumors, infections, pain, and inflammation.

''C. inophyllum'' is the source of tamanu oil, a greenish, nutty-scented oil of commercial value. It has been used as massage oil, topical medicine, lamp oil, and waterproofing, and is still used in cosmetics. Tacamahac is the resin of the tree. This species is also cultivated for its wood and planted in coastal landscaping as a windbreak and for erosion control.

Symbolism

A stylized ''Calophyllum'' is featured on the national coat of arms of Nauru.

Species

As of January 2024, ''Plants of the World Online'' includes:

# '' Calophyllum acidus''
# '' Calophyllum acutiputamen''
# '' Calophyllum aerarium''
# '' Calophyllum africanum''
# '' Calophyllum alboramulum''
# '' Calophyllum amblyphyllum''
# '' Calophyllum andersonii''
# '' Calophyllum angulare''
# '' Calophyllum apetalum''
# '' Calophyllum archipelagi''
# '' Calophyllum ardens''
# '' Calophyllum articulatum''
# '' Calophyllum aurantiacum''
# '' Calophyllum aureobrunnescens''
# '' Calophyllum aureum''
# '' Calophyllum australianum''
# '' Calophyllum austroindicum''
# '' Calophyllum balansae''
# '' Calophyllum banyengii''
# '' Calophyllum bicolor''
# '' Calophyllum biflorum''
# '' Calophyllum bifurcatum''
# '' Calophyllum blancoi''
# '' Calophyllum brachyphyllum''
# '' Calophyllum bracteatum''
# '' Calophyllum brasiliense'' – Santa Maria
# '' Calophyllum brassii''
# '' Calophyllum calaba''
# '' Calophyllum calcicola''
# '' Calophyllum caledonicum''
# '' Calophyllum canum''
# '' Calophyllum carrii''
# '' Calophyllum castaneum''
# '' Calophyllum caudatum''
# '' Calophyllum celebicum''
# '' Calophyllum cerasiferum''
# '' Calophyllum ceriferum''
# '' Calophyllum chapelieri''
# '' Calophyllum clemensiorum''
# '' Calophyllum collinum''
# '' Calophyllum comorense''
# '' Calophyllum complanatum''
# '' Calophyllum confertum''
# '' Calophyllum confusum''
# '' Calophyllum cordato-oblongum''
# '' Calophyllum coriaceum''
# '' Calophyllum costatum''
# '' Calophyllum costulatum''
# '' Calophyllum cucullatum''
# '' Calophyllum cuneifolium''
# '' Calophyllum dasypodium''
# '' Calophyllum depressinervosum''
# '' Calophyllum dioscurii''
# '' Calophyllum dispar''
# '' Calophyllum dongnaiense''
# '' Calophyllum drouhardii''
# '' Calophyllum dryobalanoides''
# '' Calophyllum echinatum''
# '' Calophyllum elegans''
# '' Calophyllum enervosum''
# '' Calophyllum eputamen''
# '' Calophyllum euryphyllum''
# '' Calophyllum exiticostatum''
# '' Calophyllum ferrugineum''
# '' Calophyllum fibrosum''
# '' Calophyllum flavoramulum''
# '' Calophyllum fraseri''
# '' Calophyllum garcinioides''
# '' Calophyllum glaucescens''
# '' Calophyllum goniocarpum''
# '' Calophyllum gracilipes''
# '' Calophyllum gracillimum''
# '' Calophyllum grandiflorum''
# '' Calophyllum griseum''
# '' Calophyllum havilandii''
# '' Calophyllum heterophyllum''
# '' Calophyllum hirasimum''
# '' Calophyllum honbaense''
# '' Calophyllum hosei''
# '' Calophyllum humbertii''
# '' Calophyllum incumbens''
# ''Calophyllum inophyllum'' – mastwood, Alexandrian laurel, tamanu, beauty leaf
# '' Calophyllum insularum''
# '' Calophyllum lanigerum''
# '' Calophyllum lankaensis''
# '' Calophyllum laticostatum''
# '' Calophyllum laxiflorum''
# '' Calophyllum leleanii''
# '' Calophyllum leptocladum''
# '' Calophyllum leucocarpum''
# '' Calophyllum lineare''
# '' Calophyllum lingulatum''
# '' Calophyllum lonchophyllum''
# '' Calophyllum longifolium''
# '' Calophyllum lowei''
# '' Calophyllum macrocarpum''
# '' Calophyllum macrophyllum''
# '' Calophyllum membranaceum''
# '' Calophyllum mesoamericanum''
# '' Calophyllum milvum''
# '' Calophyllum molle''
# '' Calophyllum moonii''
# '' Calophyllum morobensis''
# '' Calophyllum mukunense''
# '' Calophyllum multitudinis''
# '' Calophyllum neoebudicum''
# '' Calophyllum nodosum''
# '' Calophyllum novoguineense''
# '' Calophyllum nubicola''
# '' Calophyllum obliquinervium''
# '' Calophyllum obscurum''
# '' Calophyllum oliganthum''
# '' Calophyllum pachyphyllum''
# '' Calophyllum paniculatum''
# '' Calophyllum papuanum''
# '' Calophyllum parkeri''
# '' Calophyllum parviflorum''
# '' Calophyllum parvifolium''
# '' Calophyllum pascalianum''
# '' Calophyllum pauciflorum''
# '' Calophyllum peekelii''
# '' Calophyllum pelewense''
# '' Calophyllum pentapetalum''
# '' Calophyllum persimile''
# '' Calophyllum pervillei''
# '' Calophyllum piluliferum''
# '' Calophyllum pinetorum''
# '' Calophyllum pisiferum''
# '' Calophyllum poilanei''
# '' Calophyllum polyanthum'' – poonspar, sirpoontree
# '' Calophyllum praetermissum''
# '' Calophyllum pubescens''
# '' Calophyllum pulcherrimum''
# '' Calophyllum pyriforme''
# '' Calophyllum recedens''
# '' Calophyllum recurvatum''
# '' Calophyllum rigidulum''
# '' Calophyllum rigidum''
# '' Calophyllum rivulare''
# '' Calophyllum robustum''
# '' Calophyllum roseocostatum''
# '' Calophyllum rotundifolium''
# '' Calophyllum rubiginosum''
# '' Calophyllum rufigemmatum''
# '' Calophyllum rufinerve''
# '' Calophyllum rugosum''
# '' Calophyllum rupicola''
# '' Calophyllum sakarium''
# '' Calophyllum savannarum''
# '' Calophyllum sclerophyllum''
# '' Calophyllum scriblitifolium''
# '' Calophyllum sil''
# '' Calophyllum soulattri'' – bitangoor boonot, Nicobar canoetree
# '' Calophyllum stipitatum''
# '' Calophyllum streimannii''
# '' Calophyllum suberosum''
# '' Calophyllum subhorizontale''
# '' Calophyllum subsessile''
# '' Calophyllum sundaicum''
# '' Calophyllum symingtonianum''
# '' Calophyllum tacamahaca''
# '' Calophyllum tetrapterum''
# '' Calophyllum teysmannii''
# '' Calophyllum thorelii''
# '' Calophyllum thuriferum''
# '' Calophyllum thwaitesii''
# '' Calophyllum tomentosum'' – pink touriga
# '' Calophyllum touranense''
# '' Calophyllum tournanense''
# '' Calophyllum trachycaule''
# '' Calophyllum trapezifolium''
# '' Calophyllum undulatum''
# '' Calophyllum utile''
# '' Calophyllum vanoverberghii''
# '' Calophyllum venulosum''
# '' Calophyllum vergens''
# '' Calophyllum vernicosum''
# '' Calophyllum verticillatum''
# '' Calophyllum vexans''
# '' Calophyllum vitiense''
# '' Calophyllum waliense''
# '' Calophyllum walkeri''
# '' Calophyllum wallichianum''
# '' Calophyllum whitfordii''
# '' Calophyllum woodii''

Gallery

Calophyllum caledonicum.jpg, '' Calophyllum caledonicum''
File:Calophyllum brasiliense plantation.jpg, '' Calophyllum brasiliense'' plantation
Calophyllum antillanum (Palo María) picture 1.png, '' Calophyllum antillanum''

See also

* Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia

References

Bibliography

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External links

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q2697391

Malpighiales genera
National symbols of Nauru