| Photo Information |
Copyright: Foozi Saad (foozi)
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 595 W: 0 N: 957]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-n-g.gif) (4612) |
| Genre: Places |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2008-05-15 |
| Categories: Nature |
| Camera: Nikon D80, Nikkor 18-135mm |
| Exposure: f/2.5, 1/250 seconds |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2008-05-17 6:32 |
| Viewed: 491 |
| Points: 0 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Botanic description of Gelam tree from Wikipedia
Evergreen shrub or usually single-stemmed tree up to 25(-40) m tall with an extensive root system, sometimes with aerial adventitious roots. Bark layered, fibrous and papery, grey to white. Crown fairly dense and wide, somewhat silvery in appearance; smaller branches and twigs slender but not drooping, young shoots densely silky hairy with spreading fine hairs up to 2 mm long. Leaves alternate, flat, silky hairy to glabrescent; petiole compressed to concave-convex, 3-7(-11) mm x 1.1-2.3 mm, straight or curved; blade elliptical to lanceolate-elliptical, sometimes obliquely so, 5-10(-12) cm x 1-2.5(-6) cm, 2-10 times longer than wide, attenuated or sometimes abruptly rounded at base, apex acute or narrowly obtuse, often apiculate, thinly coriaceous, dull green, finely but obscurely dotted with oil glands, with 5-7 prominent veins and prominent reticulation. Inflorescence a terminal or upper-axillary spike, single or 2-3 together; spike fairly densely flowered, 3.5-9 cm x 2-2.5 cm; rachis 1-1.3 mm thick, enlarging at anthesis, densely pilose; bracts ovate, striate, villous, caducous; bracteoles absent; flowers in triads, white, greenish-white or creamy; calyx tubular, 2.5-3 mm long, pubescent, tube subcylindrical, 1.2-1.9 mm x 1.5-2 mm, at base adnate to ovary (persistent in fruit), with 4 triangular to semicircular lobes 0.7-0.9 mm x 1.2-2 mm with thin margin; petals 5, broadly obovate- spatulate with a short claw, 2-2.7 mm x 1.8-2.3 mm, blade suborbicular with 7 slender branched veins and streaked with glands; stamens numerous, 7-10 mm long, white, glabrous, arranged in bundles with a claw 1-3.5 mm long; per bundle 7-10 filaments, attached to the upper margin of the claw, free part up to 8 mm long; anthers 0.4-0.55 mm long; pistil with 3-celled ovary about 1 mm long, style 6-9 mm long and a small stigma. Fruit a cup-shaped to globose, many-seeded capsule, 3-3.5 mm x 3.5-4 mm, orifice 1.5-2 mm in diameter with thin valves. Seed linear, minute. M. cajuputi is one of the 10 species that together form the M. leucadendra (L.) L. (also often named M. leucadendron) complex. Many early references to M. leucadendra or M. leucadendron yielding cajeput oil from Indonesia and Vietnam in fact refer to M. cajuputi. It is often difficult to distinguish species within the complex, especially in areas where they overlap, because distinctive characteristics also overlap
Products
Medicine: The leaves of M. cajuputi possess antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anodyne properties and are used traditionally against pain, burns, colds, influenza and dyspepsia. Cajeput oil is produced from the leaves by steam distillation. The oil is a common household medicine, especially in South-East Asia, used internally for the treatment of coughs and colds, against stomach cramps, colic and asthma. It is used externally for the relief of neuralgia and rheumatism, often in the form of ointments and liniments, and for the relief of toothache and earache. It is also applied in treating indolent tumours. Poison: The oil is reputed to have insect-repellent properties; it is a sedative and relaxant and is useful in treating worms, particularly roundworm, and infections of the genito-urinary system. Other products: It is used as a flavouring in cooking and as a fragrance and freshening agent in soaps, cosmetics, detergents and perfumes. Timber: The wood of M. cajuputi is hard and fairly heavy and makes good fuelwood. Of limited interest for sawmilling, it is generally used in the round or roughly fashioned and is suitable for posts, poles and piles. The timber tends to check and warp, but when carefully seasoned it is suitable for general construction and flooring. The soft bark is used as a packing material, in boat building, filling mattresses or pillows and for insulation. |
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