Tree Conservation Information Service
| Pterocarpus indicus
Leguminosae narra, amboyna, padauk, rosewood Local name red sandalwood (English), amboine, santal rouge (French). Brunei: angsana. Indonesia: linggoa, sonokembang (general), angsana (Java). Malaysia: angsana (general), sena (Peninsular). Papua New Guinea: Papua New Guinea rosewood,. Philippines: apalit (general), vitali (Zamboanga). Myanmar: sena, padouk, ansanah. Laos: chan deng. Thailand: pradu (general), pradu-ban (central), sano (Malay, peninsular). Viet Nam: gi[as]ng h[uw][ow]ng. Fiji: cibicibi. Vanuatu: nananara. Solomon Islands: liki. Distribution Southern Burma, Philippines, Peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia, Sabah, Singapore, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Indochina, the Malay Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Bougainville, the Solomon Islands and the Pacific Islands. Habitat The species is found at low to medium altitudes (up to 750m) in primary and secondary forest, mainly along tidal creeks or at the edge of swamps. In addition, it is found in beach forest, on coral sand and on rocky shores. It may grow at higher altitudes when planted (Soerianegara & Lemmens, 1993). Population status and trends This species has a widespread distribution and is widely cultivated e.g. it is the most common street tree in Singapore. This species has been recorded as Vulnerable in the Philippines and threatened in Indonesia (WCMC, 1991). It is probably now extinct in Peninsular Malaysia because of exploitation of its few known stands (Soerianegara and Lemmens, 1993). It has been known for 300 years that this species is extinct in the wild in VietNam (Asia Regional Workshop, 1997). The species has been heavily exploited in Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea having the largest remaining supplies (Asia Regional Workshop, 1997). In India this species is endangered (Asia Regional Workshop, 1997). Role of species in the ecosystem Threats Exploitation for timber, including illegal felling, and shifting cultivation (Soerianegara and Lemmens, 1993). The sustainablily of timber extraction should remain of concern. As narra wood is in great demand for top-class furniture, trees of less than 60 cm diameter are sometimes cut illegally, particularly in the Philippines (Soerianegara & Lemmens, 1993) Utilisation The narra timber is used for high class furniture and cabinets, decorative sliced veneer, interior wall paneling, feature flooring (including strip and parquet), musical instruments, gun stocks, rifle butts, turned articles, knife handles, boat building and specialised joinery (Eddowes 1977, 1995-1997) Trade In the Philippines export of narra wood was 3 million kg in 1985, declining to 2.3 kg in 1986 (57% processed) and 430,000 kg in 1987 (all processed). From that time export has been negligible and at present there is a total cutting ban on the species (Soerianegara and Lemmens, 1993). In Papua New Guinea, narra is an important timber which fetches high prices. The export of logs is banned and only processed wood is exported (Soerianegara and Lemmens, 1993). Thailand exported 5.8 million kg of sawn Pterocarpus (P. indicus and P. macrocarpus) in 1990. Thailand also imports this timber, 11000 m3 in 1990, mainly from Myanmar but also in small amounts from Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam (Soerianegara and Lemmens, 1993). IUCN Conservation category VU A1d - according to UNEP-WCMC Conservation measures In Viet Nam this species is included in the Council of Ministers Decision 18/HDBT (17 January 1992) as a species with high economical value which is subject to over-exploitation. Forest management and silviculture Narra is easily propagated by seed. Stump cuttings taken from seedlings or wildlings can also be used as planting material and narra can be propagated successfully by tissue culture. It is cultivated in Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Okinawa, Hawaii and Central America (Soerianegara and Lemmens, 1993). It is also cultivated in Singapore and Papua New Guinea (Asia Regional Workshop, 1997). No information is available about the proper management of narra in natural stands. In the Philippines, the trees often occur scattered in dipterocarp forest where diameter felling limits apply. The high value of the wood has led to illegal felling of trees in contravention of the felling limits particularly in the Philippines (Soerianegara and Lemmens, 1993). References Asia
Regional Workshop, 1997. Conservation and sustainable management
of trees project workshop held in Hanoi, VietNam, August, 1997
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