Terminalia bellirica var. laurinoides (Teijsm. & Binnend. ex Miq.) Clarke

A large deciduous tree, up to 50 m tall, with a straight clean bole up to 20 m long, with a diameter at breast height of up to 2(-3) m, buttressed when large; bark blueish or ash grey, with numerous fine longitudinal cracks, yellowish inside; young branches thick, initially densely pubescent. Leaves spirally arranged or crowded at the ends of the branchlets, thin-coriaceous, broadly elliptic or obovate-elliptic, 4-20 cm x 2-11 cm, rounded to cuneate at base, rounded or obtuse, more rarely acuminate at apex, entire; petiole 2-5(-9) cm long. Flowers in axillary 3-15 cm long spikes, 6-7 mm across, yellowish, with a distinct disk and 5 recurved, deltoid calyx-lobes; corolla absent; stamens 10, exserted; ovary inferior, unilocular, 2-ovuled. Fruit a subglobose to broadly ellipsoid drupe, 2-3.5 cm long, 5-angular, minutely stipitate at base, densely and very finely pubescent; exocarp hard, endocarp sclerenchymatous.

In Java, flowering takes place in October-November, fruits are set in February and ripen in August-December. Trees are leafless for a short period (some weeks) in the dry season. Pollination may be done by insects, as the flowers have unpleasant odour, which attracts flies. Dispersal of seeds is by many animals, both arboreal and terestrial ones like pigs, deer and goats. The stones in the fruits are often completely disorged by ruminants, aiding in such dispersal, but the seeds are often destroyed by rodents and insect pests.

The species prefers periodically dry soils.

T. bellirica occurs scattered in deciduous forest, in dry regions associated with teak, sometimes in considerable numbers. It is seldom found in evergreen forest. The species prefers periodically dry soils. T. bellirica is fairly common in monsoon forest, mixed deciduous forest or dry deciduous dipterocarp forest, sometimes associated with teak, rarely in evergreen forest, on periodically dry soils. It has a wide ecological range, but does not grow above 600 m altitude. The species is light-demanding, but is somewhat shade-tolerant in youth. It is fairly sensitive to frost, though seedlings can survive, particularly when covered with grass; it is moderately drought-tolerant. In its natural area of distribution mean annual precipitation varies from 1000 to over 3000 mm.

T. bellirica is only rarely cultivated.

Seeds may be sown directly in the field when conditions are favourable. Usually depulped and sun-dried, but not too old stones are used. Soaking in cold water for 24 hours before sowing has been reported to be beneficial. Buried seeds have a better chance of successful germination. Germination needs much moisture. The germination rate of T. bellirica seed is 4-100%. The germination rate is quite high for fresh seeds, 85-100%, but declines rapidly when seeds have been stored for some time. Germination usually takes 2-5 weeks. Direct sowing of T. bellirica in Java was succesful. When seedlings are raised in the nursery, transplanting to the field before the taproot has developed is strongly preferable, and mostly successful. Clipping of roots and shoots checks growth considerably, stumping is not advised.

Trees of T. bellirica planted at 1 m x 6 m in Java have a mean annual increment in height of 1.6 m and diameter of 2.1 cm at the age of 15 years; when sown directly at 1 m x 3 m the annual height and diameter increment are 1.2 m and 1.3 cm, respectively, after 6 years. For good results, plantations have to be established on fertile soils, and spacing has to be fairly wide. Husbandry: Experimental plantations on Java, with spacing 3 m x 1 m, closed their canopy within 5 years, but an undergrowth could maintain itself quite well (no weeds could develop). Mixed planting was tried, but beleric myrobalan outcompeted other species fairly rapidly. Pruning wounds closed well. As the timber value is marginal and myrobalan production is poor in closed plantations, such planting is not advised. In India it has been found to react well to coppicing, but pollarding gave no good results; increment was found to be moderate. In experimental plantations in Java on good soil, trees had reached a height of 20-25 m in 15 years, after a few thinnings.

Living trees have few diseases and pests. The seeds and the timber are attacked frequently by borers.

The number of seeds per kg for T. bellirica is about 520 seeds.

Tannin or dyestuff: The fruits are commercially used for tanning hides into leather, often in combination with other tanning materials. Beleric myrobalan is principally used in the production of sole leather. The fruits yield a dye that is occasionally used together with iron sulphate for dyeing black cloth and matting, as a cheap substitute for indigo, and for preparation of ink. Food: The kernels can be eaten, but they possess narcotic properties. Lipids: The oil extracted from the kernels is used for hair-oil and in the manufacture of soap. Medicine: The fruits are much applied in local medicine, for instance in Java and India. Unripe fruits are purgative, whereas ripe fruits are astringent and often employed in a mixture with chebulic myrobalan (Terminalia chebula Retz.) in cases in diarrhoea, haemorrhoids and dropsy. Timber: The wood is considered to be of little value. It is used for contruction in regions where other timber is scarce or expensive. Large-sized stems are used for dug-outs.