''Celtis timorensis'', commonly known as stinkwood or stinking wood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cannabaceae that grows in tropical Asia. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

comes from the name of the island of Timor, the locality of the

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

collection.Flora of Australia Online. The most notable characteristic of the tree is the strong excrement odour that it emits from the bark and sap, which pervades the surrounding forest. This is due to the presence of the malodorous organic compound

skatole Skatole or 3-methylindole is an organic compound belonging to the indole family. It occurs naturally in the feces of mammals and birds and is the primary contributor to fecal odor. In low concentrations, it has a flowery smell and is found in seve ...

. In Thailand, it therefore known as ''kæ̂ng k̄hī̂ phrar̀wng'' or '' mị̂ chĕd tūd phrar̀wng'' ( th, แก้งขี้พระร่วง, ไม้เช็ดตูดพระร่วง) which means 'wipe the bottom timber'. Thai legend has it that Phra Ruang (the legendary King of the

Sukhothai dynasty The Sukhothai Kingdom ( th, สุโขทัย, , IAST: , ) was a post-classical Thai kingdom (mandala) in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thailand. The kingdom was fou ...

) wiped his buttocks with it. In Sri Lanka the heartwood of the tree (known as ''gurenda'', ගුරෙන්ද) is used as a traditional

ayurvedic Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population rep ...

medicine against syphilis, chickenpox, and measles.Celtis timorensis, ''Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants of Sri Lanka''. Accessed 15.02.2018 on http://www.instituteofayurveda.org/plants/plants_detail.php?i=1313&s=Family_name Celtis timorensis Com nguoi rung

Description

''Celtis timorensis'' is a large forest tree growing to 25 m in height. The wood and sap have a strong foetid smell that resembles excrement because of the presence of

. The oblate to oblong, strongly 3-veined

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are 50–130 mm in length. Although the tree resembles '' Cinnamomum iners'' in its 3-veined leaves, it can easily be distinguished by its serrated leaf margins. The seed, protected by the 7–11 mm long fruit’s hard and durable endocarp, is dispersed by water. Flowers - Inflorescence - male greenish, short racemose cymes; female more slender axillary or terminal cymes.
Fruits - beaked, pear-shaped drupe.

Distribution and habitat

The tree is found throughout the tropical regions of Asia, from India and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, through Indo-China, southern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and Malesia to the Philippines. It occurs on Christmas Island, an

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n territory in the northeastern Indian Ocean, where it forms about 1% of the

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

canopy. It grows in drier, seasonal rain forest.

References

Notes

Sources

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3929720 timorensis Flora of China Flora of the Indian subcontinent Flora of Indo-China Flora of Malesia Plants described in 1841