Specimen height : 8-14 meters
Habitats : Open slopes, grasslands, river banks
Local name : Anabiong
Trade name : Pigeonwood
Botanical name : Trema orientalis
Family : Ulmaceae
Fruiting season : March to July
Traits : Drought tolerant; Evergreen; Fast-growing; Have extensive root sytem; Medium-sized tree; Spreading crown; Tolerant of infertile soil; Wind hardy
Recommendations : Cut and carry fodder; Erosion control; Fallow improvement; Farms; Green manure; Landscaping; Large avenues; Large gardens; Light shade for crops; Living fence; Living trellis; Medicinal plant; Nurse tree; Ornamental tree; Paper & pulp tree plantations; Pioneer species for reforestation purposes; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Shade tree; Urban greening; Wildcrafting; Windbreak
Used for : Bark and leaves are used in traditional medicine; Bast fibre made into rope; Wood used for paneling, boards, wooden shoes, containers, toys and novelties; Bark and leaves yield black and coffee-coloured dye; Leaves used as animal fodder; Fallen leaves used as mulch; Pulpwood; Firewood and charcoal
Origin : Tropical Africa, India, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan; Southeast Asia (including the Philippines), New Guinea, Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia
National conservation status : Not threatened in the Philippines
Possible threat : Clearing of woodlands for agricultural, commercial or residential use
Further reading :
AgroForestryTree Database (Trema orientalis)http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sea/Products/AFDbases/af/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=1654
Philippine Woods : Principal Uses, Distribution & Equivalent Woods in Asia Pacific (A. Ella, A. Tongacan, R. Escobin & F. Pitargue)
Revised Lexicon of Philippine Trees (J. Rojo) (365)