''Intsia bijuga'', commonly known as Borneo teak, Johnstone River teak, Kwila, Moluccan ironwood, Pacific teak, scrub mahogany and vesi,
is a species of
flowering tree in the family
, native to the
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth.
In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
. It ranges from
Tanzania and
Madagascar east through
India and
Queensland,
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 ...
,
Papua New Guinea to the
Pacific islands
Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...
of
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
and
Samoa.It grows to around 50 metres (160 feet) tall with a highly
buttressed trunk. It inhabits
mangrove forests. ''Intsia bijuga'' differ from ''
Intsia palembanica'' in the number of leaflets that make up their compound leaves.
The tree has a variety of common names including ipil and kwila.
Uses
The bark and leaves of the ipil are used in traditional medicines. The tree's timber, called ''kwila'', is a very durable and
termite-resistant wood, making it a highly valued material for flooring and other uses. The wood can also be used to extract a dye. The tree can contain a "gold" fleck that runs through the grain, considered to be attractive by some.
Due to extensive logging of the tree, it is endangered in many places in Southeast Asia, and almost extinct in some. Extensive amounts were purchased for the venue of the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in China, which is the largest importer of the wood.
The wood is used for flooring in U.S. and European markets where it is commonly sold under different names. Both licensed and unlicensed mills harvest the wood.
Illegal logging
According to
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
large amounts of ipil timber sourced from
illegal logging is being imported into
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 ...
where there are lax import rules. Greenpeace are targeting users in Western countries in order to halt the trade in ipil wood. Greenpeace claims that at the current rate of logging the tree will be wiped out within 35 years.
[
In New Zealand, where the ipil wood is known as kwila, attempts have been made to stop it from being imported. In 2008 retailers were divided in whether the sale of kwila should be banned. Jim Anderton, who was the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at that time, did not support a ban and instead he left it up to consumer choice.
]
Symbolism
''Intsia bijuga'', locally known as ifit, is the official tree of the United States territory of Guam. No longer abundant since World War II, it is illegal on Guam to cut live ifit trees. It remains the most popular wood for local carvers.
References
Further reading
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External links
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CIRAD Forestry Department — timber data
{{Taxonbar, from=Q12700996
bijuga
Trees of Africa
Flora of tropical Asia
Trees of the Pacific
Trees of Madagascar
Trees of Seychelles
Trees of Taiwan
Flora of the Zanzibar Archipelago
Fabales of Australia
Trees of Australia
Flora of Queensland
Vulnerable biota of Queensland
Vulnerable flora of Australia
Vulnerable flora of Asia
Plants described in 1891