Elaeocarpus thorelii

Elaeocarpus thorelii is a tree in the family Elaeocarpaceae, endemic to Cambodia, and used for its wood.

Elaeocarpus thorelii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Oxalidales
Family:	Elaeocarpaceae
Genus:	Elaeocarpus
Species:	E. thorelii
Binomial name
Elaeocarpus thorelii Pierre[1]

Description and habitat

The species grows 10-15m tall in dense/closed forests.[2] It has rough bark. On the Bokor Plateau of Preah Monivong Bokor National Park, Cambodia, the plant is a rare small tree, found at about 970m elevation.[3]

Distribution

It is endemic to Cambodia,[1] most commonly in the provinces of Kompong Speu and Kompong Chhnang.[2]

Vernacular names

Elaeocarpus thorelii is called krâmâr in Khmer, the name is an allusion to its rough bark.[2]

Uses

The wood of the tree is used in construction and as firewood.[2]

History

The French botanist Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre, who specialised in Asian flora, described the plant in his Flore Forestiere de la Cochinchine in 1885.[4]

References

1. "Elaeocarpus thorelii Pierre". Plants of the World Online (POWO). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
2. Pauline Dy Phon (2000). Plants Utilised In Cambodia/Plantes utilisées au Cambodge. Phnom Penh: Imprimerie Olympic. pp. 14, 15.
3. RUNDEL, Philip W.; MIDDLETON, David J. (2017). "The flora of the Bokor Plateau, southeastern Cambodia: a homage to Pauline Dy Phon" (PDF). Cambodian Journal of Natural History (1): 17–37. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
4. "Elaeocarpus thorelii Pierre, Fl. Forest. Cochinch. t. 145 (1888)". International Plant Name Index (IPNI). The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 6 January 2021.

Further reading

• Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1–915. chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
• Govaerts, R. (2001). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS E-F: 1–50919.