Terminalia brassii Exell

A large tree up to 50 m tall, bole branchless for up to 30 m, up to 150(-250) cm in diameter, with huge flange buttresses, often with stilt roots forming mats up to 6 m up the trunk, bark surface flaky-scaly, coming off in long strips, with large pustules arranged in patches, inner bark pale brown to white. Leaves alternate to subopposite, narrowly oblong to elliptical, (7-)10-15(-18) cm x 3-6 cm, base rounded to subcordate, glabrous or hairy, with 20-35 pairs of secondary veins, petiole 5-12 mm long. Flowers in an axillary or terminal panicle 8-13 cm long, calyx tube tomentose. Fruit usually more or less ellipsoid, 9-14 mm x 5-11 mm, with 2 papery wings and 3 flanges or crests.

T. brassii is a pioneer, usually found gregariously in freshwater swamps or along rivers on sandy or even gravelly soils, occasionally scattered in drier areas. T. brassii tolerates anaerobic soil conditions.

The Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands; also planted for reafforestation in New Guinea and in plantation trials in these areas, northern Australia and Fiji.

T. brassii can be propagated by seed including direct sowing, by cuttings, grafting, and wildlings. The use of stumps and striplings of T. brassii and T. calamansanai in plantations in the Solomon Islands was not satisfactory; only pot plants of these species should be used.

Plantation: T. brassii is planted in Papua New Guinea at 2.7 m x 2.7 m, and in the Solomon Islands at 3.0-4.5 m x 3.0-4.5 m. The rotation applied for pulpwood production of T. brassii in the Solomon Islands is 10-11 years and for sawlog production it is estimated at 20 years.

Pests: In the Solomon Islands, T. brassii are attacked by the larva of a cerambycid borer, Oxymagis hormi, but they protect themselves to some extent by gum exudates. Roeselia lignifera is considered as potentially dangerous in the Solomon Islands for T. brassii plantations; the caterpillar of this moth has completely defoliated 3-4-year-old stands in Papua New Guinea.

Dried seed of T. brassii with a moisture content of 5% can be stored for a prolonged period at temperatures under -20 deg. C. The number of seeds per kg about 70 000 seeds.

Reclamation: T. brassii is potentially a suitable plantation species and may also be used to reafforest lowland swampy areas.

Fibre: A good-quality pulp can be produced from plantation material. Timber: The wood is used as brown terminalia, e.g. for light construction, mouldings, interior finish and veneer.