i 4 4 



P. bigeminum, Mart. 



A big tree, not native, with black sweet eatable pods. Wood 

 brown moderately hard, rings distinct irregular, pores large, sub- 

 divided crowded along the rings rays fine, a fairly heavy wood, 

 resembling Angsana, [Pterocarpus], better than the other species 

 of the genus. According to VAN EEDEN, not durable, only used for 

 props and piles and soon destroyed by insects. Weight 48 lbs. 8 ozs. 



Rosacea. 



This order is by no means largely represented here and there 

 are only three genera which give timber of any size. Among these 

 however, is one of the most important timbers we possess : 



Pygeum oblongifolium, Hook, fil. Balau, Johor Teak. 



A very large tiee 60 to roo feet in height with broad green stiff 

 leaves with white backs, rather small white flowers produced in 

 panicles and large brown woody fruits. The bark is smooth and 

 grey. The wood when fresh cut is light yellow becoming orange 

 and eventually dark brown with age. It has a peculiar and pleas- 

 ant resinous odor when fresh cut, something like that of plum- 

 wood. It is very heavy and close grained with very fine close rays 

 and very small pores with no corky margins, very numerous, no 

 rings. It is a very dur ible wood seldom attacked by termites, and 

 not liable to destruction by fungi unless when covered so as to 

 obstruct free currents of air. It splits but little, and is fairly but 

 not excessively hard, so that it cuts readily and well. It is very 

 valuable for beams and house building generally. The tree is 

 unfortunately now scarce. 1 have seen scattered specimens in 

 Singapore, Johor, and from Pahang. HOWARD NEWTON gives 

 Borneo as a locality which may be doubted. It is, however, in any 

 case very local and owing to the great demand for it has been 

 almost exterminated. NEWTON states that formerly much was 

 exported to India, China and Australia, and also to Ceylon where 

 it was used in the Colombo Breakwater. 



As it has now become scarce several very inferior woods are 

 often passed off for it. It has been noticed that modern Balau 

 has by no means the durability of the old Balau, and it is also con- 

 siderably lighter. Thus Balau beams used in the plant house of 

 the Botanic Gardens, for eighteen years when removed w T ere for 

 the greater part sound and strong, the ends where covered by 

 other timber and exposed to dampness, alone had decayed. Beams, 

 however, used later in another building in Singapore and not ex- 

 posed to rain were found to be destroyed in five years. These 

 though stated to be Balau were probably not the genuine timber. 

 The wood most often supplied as Balau now differs in the pores 

 being larger with corky margins, and often divided, there are dis- 

 tinct rings very fine and often very fine transverse lines. The 

 grain is rather coarser and the wood is ligher. It appears to be a 

 species of Shorea. 



The weight of specimens of Balau in the collection of Singapore 

 woods are 67 lbs. 15 ozs. and 64 lbs., while the other timbers class- 



