Bayok Pterospermum diversifolium

Physical Characteristics

CEBU, Philippines - Bayok is a medium tree reaching a height of four to 10 meters.

Its leaves are oblong to oblong-obovate, grow 15 to 25 centimeters in length, abruptly pointed at the apex, and broad or heart-shaped at the base. The upper surface of the blade is smooth, and the lower surface is pale and densely hairy.

The flowers are white, measure 12 to 14 centimeters long, and borne singly or in pairs in the axils of the leaves.

The fruit is about 15 centimeters long, woody, and five-angled.

Distribution

The species is common and widely distributed in the Philippines. It is mostly found in Cagayan to Camarines Provinces in Luzon, Mindoro, Palawan, Ticao, Masbate, Guimaras, Negros, Mindanao, and Basilan.

It is commonly found in forests at low and medium altitudes. 

Contemporary Uses

Bayok wood is used for jointing, flooring, cladding, making of furniture and tool handles, and manufacture of plywood. It is also used in ship- and bridge-building and construction of beams, joints, and rafters. It is also suitable for matches and the production of wood-wool board. The pulp is suitable for making paper. The bark of this tree is used for dyeing fish nets and cloth.

Traditional Uses

Bark and flowers, charred and mixed with the glands of banuyo (Mallotus philippinensis) are employed in smallpox to discharge the pus. The tannin-rich leaves and bark are used in traditional medicine as poultice against itch and wound infection and taken internally to treat dysentery.

How to plant your bayok seedling

Clear the area where you want to plant your seedling with unwanted weeds and debris. Make sure that a one-meter radius is kept free from other vegetation. Dig a plant hole with dimensions of at least 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm. Plant the seedling at proper depth.

Root collar should be at level with or a little below the ground surface with the seedling oriented upward. Fill the hole with top or garden soil and press soil firmly around the base of the seedling.  In plantation-making, seedlings should maintain a two-meter distance between seedlings if planted in a row of a three-meter distance from one strip to the next strip.

How to take care of your bayok seedling

Remove grass and other unwanted vegetation and cultivate the soil around the base of the seedling (50 cm radius) once in every quarter for two to three years.

Place mulch around the base of the seedling (maintaining the 50 cm radius and using cut grass, leaves, and other suitable materials as mulch base). Prune the branches at most 50 percent of the crown depth, preferably during dry season, and ensure that when pruning, you do not injure the bark.

Remove infected or infested vegetation nearby to stop plant diseases from spreading and contaminating your seedling. Monitor regularly the growth of the seedling for presence of pests and diseases.

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Data about native tree species are featured by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. For comments and suggestions, e-mail [email protected]. (FREEMAN)