Elaeocarpus thorelii is a tree in the family Elaeocarpaceae, endemic to Cambodia, and used for its wood.
Description and habitat The species grows tall in dense/closed forests. 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 elevation.
Distribution It is endemic to Cambodia, most commonly in the provinces of Kompong Speu and Kompong Chhnang.
Vernacular names Elaeocarpus thorelii is called in Khmer, the name is an allusion to its rough bark.
Uses The wood of the tree is used in construction and as firewood.
History The French botanist Jean Baptiste Louis Pierre, who specialised in Asian flora, described the plant in his in 1885, naming this species after Clovis Thorel.
References
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.