Pyinkado

Burma’s “ironwood” – one of the hardest timbers in Asia, used for railway sleepers, bridges and posts.

A large deciduous tree of the legume family, growing to 30 m or more, with a broad crown and bipinnate leaves that it sheds in the dry season. Its small, yellowish flowers are gathered in round heads, and the fruit is a thick, woody, sickle-shaped pod that bursts open violently when ripe, flinging out the seeds. The wood is reddish-brown, very heavy, hard and resistant to termites and rot. It grows in mixed deciduous forests, often alongside teak.

Significance in the country

After teak, pyinkado is Myanmar’s most important timber tree – its wood was used for railway sleepers, bridges, posts and floors. It is one of the country’s most valuable timber species, and its felling and trade are controlled by the state.

Where it grows

Mixed deciduous forests of the lower mountains and hills – especially the Bago Yoma range, and also in the Sagaing and Mandalay regions, in Kayin, Kayah, Mon and Shan states and in Tanintharyi.

More: Wikipedia (en)