''Planchonella malaccensis'' is a tree in the family Sapotaceae. It is named after

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site si ...

in Peninsular Malaysia.

Description

''Planchonella malaccensis'' grows up to tall with a trunk diameter of up to . The flowers are greenish-white and fragrant. The fruits are ellipsoid to roundish and measure up to long.

Distribution and habitat

''Planchonella malaccensis'' is native to southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore,

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

, Borneo,

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

, the Maluku Islands and New Guinea. Its habitat is mixed dipterocarp forests to elevation. The timber is used locally in furniture-making.

Conservation

''Planchonella malaccensis'' has been assessed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List. Its population is declining due to land conversion for

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...

plantations and harvesting of the tree for its timber. The species' presence in protected areas such as

Kinabalu Park Kinabalu Park ( ms, Taman Kinabalu), established as one of the first national parks of Malaysia in 1964, is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO in December 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and the role as one of ...

and Semenggoh Nature Reserve affords a level of protection in Borneo.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q42710131, from2=Q15328749 malaccensis Trees of Thailand Trees of Malesia Trees of New Guinea Plants described in 1882