Toona
| Toona | |
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| Toona ciliata (Type species) | |
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| Genus: | Toona |
| Species | |
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See text. | |
| Synonyms | |
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Surenus Kuntze | |
Toona, commonly known as toon or toona, is a genus in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, native from Afghanistan south to India, and east to North Korea, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia.[2] In older texts, the genus was often incorporated within a wider circumscription of the related genus Cedrela, but that genus is now restricted to species from the Americas.
Uses
Ornamental
Toona sinensis is of interest as by far the most cold-tolerant species in the Meliaceae, native in China as far north as 40°N in the Beijing area, where its tender shoots, called xiangchun (Chinese: 香椿; pinyin: xiāngchūn), are a traditional local leaf vegetable. It is the only member of the family that can be cultivated successfully in northern Europe, where it is sometimes planted as an ornamental tree in parks and avenues. Until recently, it had no widespread English common name, though Chinese Mahogany (reflecting its botanical relationship) is now used (e.g. Rushforth 1999).[3]
Wood
T. ciliata is an important timber tree. It provides a valuable hardwood used for furniture, ornamental panelling, shipbuilding, and musical instruments like the sitar, rudra veena, and drums. Due to the restrictions in recent years on the use of natively-grown American mahogany,[4] it is the most sought after mahogany replacement in higher quality electric guitar manufacturing.[5]
Medicine and Food
T. sinensis (Chinese Toon) is used in Chinese traditional medicine and eaten as a vegetable in China (leaves and shoots).
Selected species
- Toona calantas Merr. & Rolfe – kalantas, Philippine mahogany, Philippine cedar[6]
- Toona ciliata M.Roem. (syn. T. australis) – Australian red cedar, Indian mahogany[7]
- Toona sinensis (A.Juss.) M.Roem. – Chinese mahogany or Chinese toon
- Toona sureni (Blume) Merr. (syn. T. febrifuga) – Suren, Indonesian mahogany[8]
References
- ^ "Genus: Toona (Endl.) M. Roem". Germplasm Resources Information Network. 1996-09-17. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
- ^ Mabberley, David (2008). Mabberley's Plant-Book (3 ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 863. ISBN 978-0-521-82071-4.
- ^ Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. London: HarperCollins.
- ^ http://www.cites.org/eng/prog/mwg.php
- ^ http://gaskellguitars.com/downloads/90.html
- ^ ASEAN Tropical Plant Database. "Toona calantas Merr. & Rolfe". National Institute of Environmental Research, Republic of Korea. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
- ^ "Toona ciliata Roem". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
- ^ "GRIN Species Records of Toona". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Retrieved 2011-04-21.