Palaquium gutta is a tree in the family Sapotaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia.
Description Palaquium gutta grows up to tall. The bark is reddish brown. Inflorescences bear up to 12 flowers. The fruits are round or ellipsoid, sometimes brownish tomentose, up to long.
Taxonomy Palaquium gutta was first described as Isonandra gutta by English botanist William Jackson Hooker in his London Journal of Botany in 1847. In 1884, the French botanist Henri Ernest Baillon transferred the species to the genus Palaquium. The lectotype was collected in Singapore. The specific epithet is from the Malay word getah meaning 'sap or latex'.
Distribution and habitat Palaquium gutta is native to Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Singapore. Its habitat is lowland mixed dipterocarp, kerangas and limestone forests.
Uses The seeds of Palaquium gutta are used to make soap and candles, occasionally in cooking. The latex is used to make gutta-percha. The timber is logged and traded as nyatoh.
Conservation Palaquium gutta has been assessed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List. The significant threat to the species is deforestation: in Borneo for conversion of land to palm oil cultivation.
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