Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Chukrasia velutina M. Roem.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: ma lian

English: Burmese almondwood, Chittagong wood, East Indian-mahogany, Indian redwood, bastard-cedar, chickrassy, white-cedar

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Tree to 40 m; bole to 25 m, fluted below, to 120 cm diameter. Buttresses convex, to 150 cm tall. Bark dark brown, fissured vertically and scaling or cracking into rectangular blocks; inner bark red brown or pinkish; sapwood straw, heartwood yellow to reddish-brown. Twigs grey, bark cracking horizontally. Leafy twigs 4-6 mm diameter, lenticellate. Leaves 30-50 cm, with 6-12 leaflets on each side, more or less short-pubescent; petiole 4-9 cm, more or less terete, swollen at base. Leaflets ovate to oblong, more or less asymmetric or even falcate, the subapical the largest, 10-17.5 by 3.5-6.5 cm, the most proximal as small as 4 by 2.2 cm, bases obtuse to rounded distally, acute to cuneate proximally, apices acute to acuminate, subglabrous to finely scattered short pubescent adaxially, subglabrous except for short hairs on veins and domatia in axils of costae to densely velutinous abaxially, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, costae ca 9-11 on each side of largest leaflets, arcuate, more or less bifurcating near margin; petiolules 2-6 mm. Thyrses 10-30 cm long, primary branches to 16 cm, squarrose to ascending, secondary to 4 cm, bearing fascicles of sweetly-scented flowers; axes short-pubescent; bracts 2-7 (-10) mm, narrowly triangular, often caducous, bracteoles similar but smaller; pedicels ca 3-4 mm, articulated with pseudopedicels ca 2 mm long, continuous with calyx. Calyx ca 2.5-3.5 mm diameter, shallowly cupular, more or less pubescent without lobes obtuse, ca 1/3 length of calyx. Petals ca 12-16 mm long, narrowly oblong to subspathulate, creamy green or yellowish, often tinged pink, subglabrous or puberulent (especially on sectors exposed before anthesis). Staminal tube glabrous, colour as petals, anthers ca 1 mm long, oblong. Ovary densely adpressed pubescent. Infructescence pendulous with up to 6 fruits. Capsule (2.5-) 3.5-5 cm long, 2.5-4 cm diameter, dark brown, lenticellate. Seeds ca 1.2 cm long" (van Steenis, 1950; pp. 12/1:354-358).

Habitat/ecology:  "Rain forest and semi-deciduous forest, including bamboo forests and those on limestone, to 900 m altitude. It is colonist of bare ground, including road cuttings in the Malay Peninsula" (Mabberley et al., 1995; pp. 354-358). "It can be described as a pioneer species as it tends to colonise disturbed areas" (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 100).

Propagation:  It produces large quantities of wind-dispersed seed (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 100).

Native range:  "India and Nepal, east- and southeastwards from southern China and Hainan, Sri Lanka and the Andamans to western Malesia" (van Steenis, 1950; pp. 12/1:354-358).

Presence:

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 100)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	van Steenis, C. G. G. J. et al (1948) (pp. 12/1:354-358)
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 198) Cultivated.
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Sumatra
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	van Steenis, C. G. G. J. et al (1948) (pp. 12/1:354-358)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
India (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Andaman Islands	Andaman Islands		van Steenis, C. G. G. J. et al (1948) (pp. 12/1:354-358)

Comments:  Reportedly causing problems in north Queensland, where it has been introduced (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 100).

Control:  If you know of control methods for Chukrasia tabularis, please let us know.