Dillenia pentagyna
| Dog teak (Dillenia pentagyna) | |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Dillenia pentagyna |
| Common names | Dog teak; Nepali elephant apple |
| Genus | Dillenia |
| Family | Dilleniaceae |
| Order | Dilleniales |
| Native range | Indian Subcontinent to China (Yunnan) and southern Sulawesi |
Dillenia pentagyna is a deciduous tropical tree known as dog teak and Nepali elephant apple. Its native range extends from the Indian Subcontinent to China (Yunnan) and southern Sulawesi, including mainland Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka.[1]
Description[edit | edit source]
The species is associated with wet tropical conditions and is recorded from rainforests, thickets, hills, and seasonal forests. It is deciduous, with yellow flowers that may appear before the new leaves. A species account gives a height of 6–15 m, while another reports trees reaching about 25 m; mature size therefore varies with the source and growing conditions.[2][3]
A recent review describes Dillenia pentagyna as widely distributed but increasingly threatened. That conservation concern should not be read as a measure of the performance of an individual cultivated tree.[4]
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
Soil and water[edit | edit source]
The species occurs in wet tropical regions and in both rainforest and seasonal-forest settings. A cautious cultivation inference from that habitat is to use an organic, free-draining medium and avoid prolonged drying while preventing stagnant water around the roots. The packet does not establish a species-specific soil reaction, irrigation schedule, root architecture, or container response, so those details should remain adjustable rather than treated as fixed requirements.[1][2]
Sun and humidity[edit | edit source]
Begin with bright exposure or open sun. Light shade is also tolerated, but the available species account identifies a sunny position as the stronger growth preference.[5] Its wet-tropical range supports maintaining good atmospheric humidity and airflow, while avoiding a permanently enclosed, stagnant position.[1]
Seasonal changes[edit | edit source]
The tree is deciduous and occurs in regions with seasonal forests as well as wetter forest types. In northeastern Cambodia, a regional account places flowering in February–March, fruiting in March–April, and leaf growth from May to November. Those months describe that Cambodian setting, not a universal calendar; in cultivation, watch the tree's own dry- and wet-season rhythm and adjust irrigation around active growth and leaf fall rather than copying the dates.[6]
Propagation[edit | edit source]
Seed is recorded as a propagation route, but no species-specific germination schedule or storage method is supported here. A 2026 species-specific in-vitro study reported 8–10 shoots, with a mean of 8.09 ± 0.21, after the third subculture on MS medium containing 0.5 mg L−1 BAP, followed by about 80% survival during acclimatization. Those figures describe laboratory nodal-explant multiplication and are not a home seed, cutting, or grafting protocol.[7]
Flowering, fruiting, and harvest[edit | edit source]
In the northeastern Cambodian record, flowering precedes or accompanies the transition into the leafing season: flowers are reported in February–March, fruiting in March–April, and leaf growth from May to November. Local climate and seasonal timing can shift these events, so the regional sequence is more useful than the calendar dates outside Cambodia.[6]
Fruit and uses[edit | edit source]
Regional ethnobotanical records describe the fruit as eaten in Cambodia. Reports from parts of India describe ripe fruit consumption and use of unripe fruit as a vegetable. These are regional food-use observations; they do not establish a universal preparation method, food-safety rule, or medicinal effect.[6]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ [4] A multipurpose medicinal tree under threat: biology, phytochemistry, propagation and conservation of Dillenia pentagyna.
- ↑ [6] Dillenia pentagyna.