| Dracontomelon dao | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Young crown | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Anacardiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Spondiadoideae |
| Genus: | Dracontomelon |
| Species: | D. dao |
| Binomial name | |
| Dracontomelon dao | |
| Synonyms | |
List
| |
Dracontomelon dao, the Argus pheasant-tree, [3] Pacific walnut, Papuan walnut, New Guinea walnut, paldao or simply dao, [4] is a tree in the family Anacardiaceae, native to tropical Asia.
Dracontomelon dao grows as a tropical canopy tree distinguished mostly by its height (reaching up to about 37 metres or 121 feet), [5] for its greyish-brown trunk which is branchless up to about 20 m (66 ft), and for its narrow buttresses which can reach up its trunk up to 6 m (20 ft) high. The species name is taken from the tree's name in Filipino. [6]
Dracontomelon dao is found in the tropical forests of: peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, the Philippines, Java, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Sulawesi, the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, the south Andaman Islands, the Nicobar Islands, eastern India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. [7] The species also occurs in southern China and Fiji. [1]
The fruit is an ingredient in some popular Vietnamese dishes, made into a syrup for mixing into cold drinks, and can be dried and preserved as a snack. [8]
A decoction from the stem of the Lamyo is drunk by the Ayta people of Bataan as a treatment for wound infections.
The bark is used in the treatment of dysentery and in traditional medicine to provoke an abortion [9]
The fruit is depurative. It is used in the treatment of dermatitis. The mature fruits are used in dentistry [10]
In Bali, the bark of the dao (book) is among several natural ingredients used to make a concoction for curing lontar leaves before they are bound to make writing material for manuscripts. [11] The tree itself was among many plants identified in manuscripts of the Kakawin Ramayana (as rahu). [12]
The seed surface typically displays an intricate pattern with an approximate five-fold symmetry, and its five rhombic protrusions are reminiscent of primitive Buddha images. It is revered and called "Five Buddhas" in the North-East of Thailand and in Laos.
The municipality of Dao, Capiz and the Barangay (village) of Dau in Mabalacat, Pampanga are named after the dao tree.
A specific specimen of Dracontomelon dao has become an icon for students and a tourist attraction of sorts for the University of the Philippines Los Baños. [13] [14] [15]
The tree inspired National Artist Leandro Locsin's design for the university's Student Union building, and for the buildings that now house UPLB's College of Agriculture and College of Development Communication - all three Locsin-designed buildings bearing a motif of repeating dao-like buttressed columns. The tree itself stood on the banks of Molawin Creek, on the site where the Student Union building was commissioned to be put up, so Locsin made the tree an element part of the building's layout, standing at the passenger drop-off point in front of the main entrance. [14]
Some time before 2005, the dao gradually began to lean "20 degrees to the side with respect to its vertical position due to its heavy crown and weakened root system", leading then-Chancellor Wilfredo P. David to order that it be cut down in 2005. [14] [15] With testimony from some of UPLB's plant pathologists and urban forestry experts, and support from the Philippines' National Commission on Culture and the Arts and Department of Environment and Natural Resources, protesters managed to prevent the tree from being cut until David's term ended, after which the next chancellor, Luis Rey I. Velasco, decided not to cut it, and instead declared it one of the university's twelve "Centennial Heritage Trees." [13] [14] [15] When Typhoon Milenyo battered Los Baños and caused numerous trees in UPLB to fall down, the leaning Dao remained standing, turning the leaning dao into a legend of sorts; every time a strong typhoon comes along, UPLB constituents eagerly go to see if the dao is still standing, and anticipate another headline that says "UP Los Baños' leaning dao tree survives (name of typhoon)". [14] [15] UP Los Baños leaning dao tree survives 'Pedring' ‘Condemned’ leaning dao tree at UPLB survives ‘Milenyo’
Los Baños, officially the Municipality of Los Baños, colloquialy 'elbi' or simply LB, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 115,353 people.
The University of the Philippines Los Baños, also referred to as UP Los Baños or colloquially as Elbi, is a public research university primarily located in the towns of Los Baños and Bay in the province of Laguna, some 65 kilometers southeast of Manila. It traces its roots to the UP College of Agriculture (UPCA), which was founded in 1909 by the American colonial government to promote agricultural education and research in the Philippines. American botanist Edwin Copeland served as its first dean. UPLB was formally established in 1972 following the union of UPCA with four other Los Baños and Diliman-based University of the Philippines (UP) units.
Dao, Dão or DAO may refer to:
Mount Makiling is an inactive stratovolcano located in the provinces of Laguna and Batangas on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The mountain rises to an elevation of 1,090 meters (3,580 ft) above mean sea level and is the highest feature of the Laguna Volcanic Field. The volcano has no recorded historic eruption but volcanism is still evident through geothermal features like mud spring and hot springs. South of the mountain is the Makiling–Banahaw Geothermal Plant. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) classifies the volcano as "Inactive".
Maria Makiling, more properly Mariang Makiling, is a diwata in Philippine mythology, associated with Mount Makiling in Laguna, Philippines. She is the most widely known diwatà in Philippine mythology and was venerated in pre-colonial Philippines as a goddess known as Dayang Masalanta or Dian Masalanta who was invoked to stop deluges, storms, and earthquakes.
Canarium ovatum, the pili, is a species of tropical tree belonging to the genus Canarium. It is one of approximately 600 species in the family Burseraceae. C. ovatum are native to the Philippines. They are commercially cultivated in the Philippines for their edible nuts and is believed to be indigenous to that country. The fruit and tree are often vulgarized with the umbrella term of "Java almond" which mixes multiple species of the same genus, Canarium.
The University of the Philippines Rural High School was established as a subsidiary of the Department of Agricultural Education of the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture, pursuant to Sec.4 of Act 3377 of the Philippine Legislature which was approved on December 3, 1927. The school, with a vocational curriculum, served as a practice school for the training of teachers, provided secondary education in agriculture for those preparing for college, and trained intermediate school graduates in agriculture.
Paliurus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rhamnaceae. The eight species are native to warm, dry regions of Eurasia and North Africa from Morocco and Spain east to Japan and Taiwan.
The Trobriand Islands rain forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southeastern Papua New Guinea.
The University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Forestry and Natural Resources is one of the 11 degree-granting units of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). It started as the Forest School under the UP College of Agriculture in 1910, making it the oldest forestry school in the Philippines. It is one of the five founding units of UPLB upon its establishment in 1972.
The Molawin River, also referred to as the Molawin Creek, is one of the many low volume flowing rocky streams crisscrossing the campus of the University of the Philippines Los Baños and some areas of the town of Los Baños. Molawin Creek crosses the whole of the UPLB campus and essentially cuts it in half making it necessary to construct several bridges throughout the university's history to improve the campus' integrity and general accessibility. Volume of flow depends on the average rainfall of the season and develops into a raging river during typhoons or heavy rainfall. It is a minor tributary of Laguna Lake, one among many small creeks that empty into Laguna de Bay. The origins of Molawin Creek and the other creeks in Los Baños have not been pinpointed but are generally accepted to have their origins high up in Mount Makiling. The name Molawin is a local variation of the name of the Molave tree.
Dracontomelon is a genus of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, growing mostly in SE Asia and the Pacific islands. The fruit may be used in local cuisine, especially as souring agents.
The main campus of University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) is located in the towns of Los Baños and Bay in the province of Laguna, 64 km (40 mi) southeast of Manila. The complex covers 5,445 ha of land encompassing the entire Makiling Forest Reserve (MFR) and surrounding areas. Its land grants in the provinces of Laguna, Negros Occidental, and Quezon have a combined area of 9,760 ha. The Total Campus Area (Rural) 15,205 hectares.
The University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Agriculture and Food Science, formerly named University of the Philippines College of Agriculture or UPLB CA, is one of the 11 degree-granting units of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Founded in 1909 as the University of the Philippines College of Agriculture, it is the oldest constituent of UPLB, and is one of the four founding units of the university upon its establishment in 1972.
The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) is one of the eleven degree-granting units of the University of the Philippines Los Baños. It is the largest college in University of the Philippines System which offers most of the general education subjects required of UPLB students, as well as the highest number of degree programs in the University. The Philippines' Commission on Higher Education has recognized CAS as a Center of Excellence in Biology, Chemistry, Information Technology and Mathematics, as well as a Center of Development in Physics and Statistics.
The UPLB Limnological Research Station traces its root from the Department of Entomology, of the then UP College of Agriculture. Since its conception, the station contributed immensely to the understanding of the bounties of Laguna de Bay and helped establish the duck farming industry on Los Baňos foreshores and pioneered in aquarium fish production in the country. It serves as the base for studies on limnology and biology of aquatic organisms aimed at developing strategies for the optimum utilization and sustained production of aquatic resources; developing, adapting or improving conventional technologies used to increase fish production; and promoting environment friendly approaches for effective water management.
The Training Center for Tropical Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability (TREES) is an international training and continuing education unit of the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Forestry and Natural Resources (CFNR). It was established on June 25, 1998. and organizes training courses and study tours related to tropical forestry, natural resource management, and ecosystems management. It has taught more than 6,000 graduates from over 40 countries.
College Station is a railway station located on the South Main Line in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines.
The UPLB Museum of Natural History is a natural science and natural history museum within the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) campus. It serves as a center for documentation, research, and information of flora and fauna of the Philippines. The museum is one of the research and extension units of the UPLB and its role parallels that of a library for written records.
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Media related to Dracontomelon dao at Wikimedia Commons