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Barringtonia calyptrata (Miers) R. Br. ex Bailey

Family Name:	Lecythidaceae
Common Name:	Corned Beef Wood, Mango Pine, Cassowary Pine, Tufan

Barringtonia calyptrata produces wood that smell like corned-beef, giving it the common name Corned Beef Wood. Flower stalks hang pendulously on the tree branches and are densely covered with up to 60 white flowers each.

Full Sun

Moderate Water

Ornamental Flowers

Tree

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Name Authority
Name Status (botanical)
Common Names
Comments
Species Summary

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants)
Plant Growth Form	Tree
Mode of Nutrition	Autotrophic

Maximum Height

20 m

Biogeography

Native Distribution	From Indonesia, New Guinea to Northern Australia
Native Habitat	Terrestrial
Preferred Climate Zone	Tropical

Local Conservation Status

Non-native

Description and Ethnobotany

Growth Form	It is a tree, up to 20 m tall. Growth is episodic and characterised by a series of scale-like leaves (cataphylls), which is triangular, 2 – 5 mm long and 2 mm wide.
Foliage	Leaves are leathery, obovate to oblong (10 – 29 cm long and 4 – 13 cm wide) and tend to cluster at the tip of the branches. The leaf tip is obtuse or rarely has a long tip, while the leaf base is cuneate and decurrent almost to the petiole base. The leaf margin is entire. 8 – 20 pairs of lateral veins are present and intercostal veins are slightly raised on both surfaces. The petiole is 0.5 – 3 cm long and slightly swollen at the base.
Flowers	Inflorescence hangs pendulously on the branches (ramiflorous), about 30 – 40 cm long. Each flowering stalk is densely covered with up to 60 flowers. The flower is sessile with grooved grey-green hypanthium (3 – 4 mm long and 3 – 4 mm wide). Flower comprises of 4 – 5 small red or white petals (1.25 – 2.5 cm long and 0.5 – 1.75 cm wide), and numerous white stamens arranged in whorls of 4 – 5 (-7). Style is 3 – 4.5 cm long, white, and persists in fruit.

Fruit	Fruit is ovoid or spindle-shaped (5 – 9.5 cm long, 1.75 – 2.5 cm wide) that tapers at both ends. Each fruit contains one subglobular seed within, that is about 2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide.
Habitat	It is found in open savannah, along streams and rivers, and rarely in mangrove forest.
Associated Fauna	In Northern Australia, Cassowaries are observed to disperse the seeds.
Etymology	The genus Barringtonia commemorates Daines Barrington (1727 – 1800), a British naturalist. Specific epithet calyptrate means hooded or covered, referring to the flower buds.
Ethnobotanical Uses	Timber & Products: The wood is soft and said to smell like corned-beef. The wood has an even grain pattern and is used for general purpose such as flooring. Others: In New Guinea, boiled leaves are used by indigenous people to treat chest pain.

Landscaping Features

Desirable Plant Features	Ornamental Flowers

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference	Full Sun
Water Preference	Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Moderate

Foliar

Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	3.0 (Tree - Intermediate Canopy)

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower Colour(s)	White

References

References	Prance, G.T. (2012). A Revision of Barringtonia (Lecythidaceae). Allertonia 12: 1–161. Prance, G.T. & Kartawinata, E.K. (2013). Lecythidaceae. In: Nooteboom, H.P. & van Welzen, P.C. (ed.) Flora Malesiana, ser. 1, vol. 21, pp. 1–118. Leiden: Naturalis Biodiversity Center.

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Master ID	1452
Species ID	2745
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.