Toona sureni

Toona sureni belongs to the toon genus Toona of the mahogany family Meliaceae. It was first described by the German-Dutch botanist Carl Ludwig Blume in 1823 as Swietenia sureni. It was transferred to the genus Toona in 1917 by the American botanist Elmer Drew Merrill. ==Description==

Toona sureni is a medium-sized to large tree, reaching a maximum height of around and a diameter of . The bark is fibrous and flaky in texture with numerous vertical fissures. It is pale brown to whitish or grayish brown in color. When cut, the bark and sapwood produce a pleasant odor reminiscent of cinnamon. The sap is colorless and does not change in color after being exposed to air. The inflorescence are terminal, occurring at the tips of branchlets. They are paniculate and pendant, reaching a length of around . The individual flowers are small (around in length), and are sweetly fragrant. Flowers are individually unisexual, though both male and female flowers occur in the same plant. The fruits are leathery capsules, around long and brown in color. Each contains more than 100 seeds. The seeds are narrow and usually in length, with a maximum length of ; and in diameter. They are winged at both ends (subequal). ==Ecology==

Toona sureni is deciduous, shedding their leaves during the dry season (usually February to March or September to October). They produce flowers and fruits twice each year (usually during December to February and April to September). ==Distribution and habitat==

Toona sureni is native to South Asia (India, Bhutan, and Nepal); Indochina (Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam); China (Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, and Yunnan); Malesia (Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines); and Papua New Guinea. They are usually found in primary forests on open hillsides, slopes, ravines, and riverbanks at an altitude of asl. They may sometimes also be found in secondary semi-evergreen forests. ==Names==

The tree is commonly known in English as the "suren toon" (or "suren toona"), "surian", "limpaga", "iron redwood" or the "red cedar". though it is not "genuine" mahogany (genus Swietenia). Local names include suren in Indonesia, ye tama in Burma, danupra in the Philippines, surian (สุเหรียน) in Thailand, surian wangi in Malaysia, and zi chun (紫椿) in China. ==Uses==

Toona sureni, like other members of the mahogany family, are valuable timber trees. They are a source of high quality commercial hardwoods used for high-end furniture work, interior finishing, decorative paneling, musical instruments such as Djembe, and other wood crafts. The bark extract is also used in traditional medicine as an astringent, purgative, antirheumatic, and for treating gastrointestinal ailments like diarrhea and dysentery. The leaf extracts are used as antibacterial poultices. They are also planted as ornamentals and shade trees, as well as being used for intercropping. ==References==