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The genus Calophyllum (beautiful leaf, from Greek kalos, beatiful, and phullon, leaf) is a taxon, composed exclusively of tropical evergreen trees, of the family Clusiaceae. There are around 180-200 species in this genus. The common names, as well as commercial names, for these trees are Bintangor tree (used in Malaysia) and poon tree (in India).

Distribution and habitat

Calophyllum is found to grow in Madagascar, in all South Asia (India, Pakistan Sri Lanka) and Southeast Asia (Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia), in the Pacific islands, the West Indies and South America.

Calophyllums grow in a wide number of habitats, from ridges in montane forests to coastal swamps, lowland forest and even coral cays.

Tree description

The tree, which are large hardwoods, attain 30 m in height and 0.8 m in diameter. It presents shiny and leathery leaves. The tree bark is grey or white and decorticates in large thin strips. The heartwood is pink-red, or almost brown. The sapwood colors vary from species to species, often from yellow, brown - often with pink tints - to orange.

Calophyllum hardwood is lightweight. Species occurring in Papua New Guinea are buttressed.

Medical interest

Several species have been found to contain naturally occurring calanolides in various quantities.

Other uses

The lightweight hardwood of these species is used, in boatmaking, for masts and spars.

Species

• C. amoenum
• C. angulare
• C. angustifolium
• C. antillanum -- Antilles calophyllum
• C. australianum
• C. austroindicum
• C. bicolor
• C. biflorum
• C. blancoi
• C. bracteatum
• C. brasiliense
• C. cholobtaches
• C. calaba
• C. caledonicum
• C. candidissimum
• C. canum
• C. carrii. Varieties include: longigemmatum.
• C. cerasiferum
• C. collinum
• C. cordato-oblongum
• C. coriaceum
• C. costatum
• C. curtisii
• C. dasypodum
• C. depressinervosum
• C. dioscurii
• C. donatianum
• C. elatum
• C. euryphyllum
• C. exiticostatum
• C. ferrugineum
• C. flavo-ramulum
• C. floribundum
• C. fraseri
• C. garcinioides
• C. goniocarpum
• C. griseum
• C. havilandii
• C. hosei
• C. inophyllum -- Alexandrian laurel , Ballnut
• C. insularum
• C. kajewski
• C. lanigerum. Varieties include: austrocoriaceum.
• C. leleanii
• C. longifolium
• C. lucidum
• C. macrocarpum
• C. molle
• C. montanum
• C. neo-ebudicum
• C. nodosum
• C. obliquinervium
• C. pachyphyllum
• C. papuanum
• C. parviflorum
• C. pauciflorum
• C. peekelii
• C. persimile
• C. pinetorum
• C. pisiferum
• C. pulcherrimum
• C. retusum
• C. rigidum
• C. rubiginosum
• C. rufigemmatum
• C. sclerophyllum
• C. scriblitifolium
• C. sil
• C. soulattri
• C. suberosum
• C. sundaicum
• C. symingtonianum
• C. tahanense
• C. tetrapterum
• C. teysmannii. Varieties include: inophylloide.
• C. thwaitesii
• C. tomentosum
• C. venulosum
• C. vexans
• C. vitiense
• C. waliense
• C. wallichianum
• C. woodii