Morphological characteristic and physical environment of Terminalia catappa in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Marjenah, Putri NP. 2017. Morphological characteristics and physical environment of Terminalia catappa in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Asian J For 1: 33-39. Tropical almond (Terminalia catappa) is a large tree and is widely distributed throughout the tropics, especially in coastal environments. This plant has the potentials to be developed intensively as forestry commodity since the timber can be made into a useful and decorative general-purpose hardwood and is well suited for conversion into furniture and interior building timbers. Yet, there is limited knowledge on its ecological performance regarding the environments where it grows. Therefore, this research aimed to determine the growth of T. catappa in varying altitudinal ranges in three locations in East Kalimantan, Indonesia and to investigate the relationship among morphological characteristics and environmental factors. The results of statistical analysis showed that differences in altitudinal ranges had no significant effects on the growth of stem diameter, angle of branching, and width of canopy closure. Meanwhile, the analysis on stem height and radius of canopy showed highly significant differences. The exploration and characterization of T. catappa plants are still needed to reveal the potentials of its germplasm to be developed as forestry plants and not only for ornamental purposes.