Ipil

Intsia bijuga

''Intsia bijuga'' is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to the Indo-Pacific. It ranges from Tanzania and Madagascar east through India and Queensland, Australia to the Pacific islands of Fiji and Samoa.
Ipil trunk being strangled This coastal legume tree is being strangled by the Acorn Fig (Ficus glandifera), another coastal species. This conflict between the Ipil tree and this epiphytic tree may be going on for many decades. It looks like both trees are still doing well, neither of them giving up easily. Geotagged,Intsia bijuga,Malaysia,Summer

Appearance

It grows to around 50 metres tall with a highly buttressed trunk. It inhabits mangrove forests. ''Intsia bijuga'' differ from ''Intsia palembanica'' in the number of leaflets that make up their compound leaves.
Ipil tree A very widespread coastal legume tree. This one was growing on the beach. There are lots of usage for this tree making it sought by many people thus causing it to become vulnerable to extinction. Geotagged,Intsia bijuga,Malaysia,Summer

Naming

The tree has a variety of common names including ipil and kwila. In the Philippines, it also known in some areas as taal.
Ipil leaves A very widespread coastal legume tree. This one was growing on the beach. There are lots of usage for this tree making it sought by many people thus causing it to become vulnerable to extinction. Geotagged,Intsia bijuga,Malaysia,Summer

Uses

The bark and leaves of the ipil are used in traditional medicines. The tree's timber, called ''kwila'', is a very durable and termite-resistant wood, making it a highly valued material for flooring and other uses. The wood can also be used to extract a dye. The tree can contain a "gold" fleck that runs through the grain, considered to be attractive by some.
Due to extensive logging of the tree, it is endangered in many places in Southeast Asia, and almost extinct in some. Extensive amounts were purchased for the venue of the 2008 Summer Olympics in China, which is the largest importer of the wood. The wood is used for flooring in U.S. and European markets where it is commonly sold under different names. Both licensed and unlicensed mills harvest the wood.

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderFabales
FamilyFabaceae
GenusIntsia
SpeciesI. bijuga
Photographed in
Malaysia