Elaeocarpus thorelii


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 krâmâr 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 Flore Forestiere de la Cochinchine in 1885, naming this species after Clovis Thorel.