Kampala Tree and Palm Directory

Tree Species
Common Name
Tree Description
Tree Uses

English: Queensland Kauri, Smooth-bark kauri, Kauri pine.

+ Tree Species

Agathis robusta

+ Tree Family

Araucariaceae

+ Ecology

Agathis robusta is native to Australia.  It s a characteristic tree of drier rain forest where other tree species experience difficulty in attaining large dimensions.  It succeeds in warm temperate to tropical regions, being able to tolerate light frosts. It prefers a deep, fertile, well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. Young plants grow better in the shelter and shade of the woodland, but require increasing amounts of light as they grow larger. In Kampala, this tree can be found at Makerere University among other places.

+ Description

Monoecious tree to 50 m tall and 180 cm dbh; trunk straight with little taper, clear for over half its length; crown dense

BARK: Orange-brown, brown or grey-brown; smooth to slightly flaky. Inner bark mixed red, pink and brown; bark exudate clear or somewhat milky.

LEAVES: Spirally arranged on primary shoots, opposite to subopposite on lateral shoots; leaves entire on petioles 3-10 mm long, linear to elliptic, 5-13 × 1-4 cm, stiff; veins fine, longitudinal, more or less parallel. Juvenile leaves similar but oblong-lanceolate, acute, 6-7 × 1-2 cm, glabrous, green, shiny above and dull beneath, venation faint and longitudinal.

FLOWERS:

FRUIT: Cones about 8-10.5 cm diameter each with about 340-440 scales per cone.

+ Uses

A fibre obtained from the inner bark is used to made ropes and nets.

The bark yields a resin known as dammar - used for making varnish etc.

Traditionally, dammar is used for purposes such as caulking boats and baskets, as an adhesive, a medicine, as a fuel for torches and sometimes in foods. Commercially, it is an ingredient of inks, lacquers, oil paints, varnishes etc, and is used as a glazing agent in foods.

The wood is used for a range of purposes, including vats and tanks, pattern making, millwork, boat building, furniture components, face veneers, shingles and pencil slats.

+ Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings of leading shoots.

+ Management

Slow-growing.

+ Remarks

The root damage potential is rated as High.



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