Uses

Timber, Pulp and Paper, Fuelwood and Charcoal, Agroforestry

Description

General Description

Acacia mangium, also known as mangium or black wattle, is a fast-growing evergreen tree reaching 25–35 meters tall, widely planted in the Philippines and Southeast Asia for timber, pulpwood, and reforestation. It has a straight trunk, large phyllodes (leaf-like structures), cream-colored flower spikes, and coiled seed pods.

  • Family: Fabaceae (pea family), subfamily Mimosoideae
  • Height: 25–35 m; trunk diameter up to 90 cm
  • Trunk/Bark: Straight bole, branchless up to 15 m; young bark smooth and greenish, older bark rough and fissured, greyish-brown
  • Leaves (Phyllodes): Large, 25 cm long, 3.5–10 cm wide, with 4–5 main veins; leathery and glabrous
  • Flowers: Tiny white or cream, bisexual, borne in spikes; pollinated by insects (bees, Trigona spp.)
  • Pods: Linear, irregularly coiled, 7–10 cm long, brown when ripe, slightly woody
  • Seeds: Black, shiny, 3–5 mm long, attached by orange-red funicle; ~66,000–142,000 seeds/kg