Black Damar

Trees, up to 50 m tall, ca. 1 m d.b.h.; bark gray-white. Branchlets 5-25 mm in diam., at first densely rusty tomentose. Leaves stipulate; stipules very early deciduous; leaflets 5 or 6 pairs; blades ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, 10-20 × 4-6.5 cm, adaxially glabrous, abaxially nearly glabrous or densely rusty tomentose, rigid papery or leathery, base broadly cuneate, oblique, margin with small rounded teeth or slightly sinuate, apex acuminate, with acumen acute or obtuse; lateral veins 20-22 pairs, on both surfaces ± prominent. Inflorescences axillary, sometimes fascicled at ends of branches, narrow cymose panicles in male plants, racemose in female, densely rusty or yellow tomentose, glabrescent, 15-40 cm and many flowered in male plants, 7-20 cm and few flowered in female. Male flowers ca. 7 mm, female flowers ca. 9 mm. Calyx nearly glabrous or rusty tomentose abaxially, with short obtuse lobes, ca. 4 mm in male flowers, ca. 5.5 mm in female. Petals abaxially nearly glabrous to densely tomentose. Stamens glabrous; filaments connate for 1/4-3/4 of length; anthers acuminate; disk margin and inside long pubescent, annular and ca. 1 mm high in male flowers, somewhat 6-lobed, ca. 0.5 mm high, fleshy in female flowers. Ovary glabrous or with scattered hairs, nearly absent in male flowers. Infructescences racemose, 10-20 cm, glabrous, 1-3-fruited; persistent calyx disk-shaped, slightly 3-lobed or deltoid, ca. 12.5 mm in diam. Drupe with pedicel, obovoid or ellipsoid, cross section nearly rounded or rounded triangular, both ends obtuse, 35-45 × 17-23 mm; pyrene smooth, ribs obtuse, without conspicuous midrib. Fr. Apr-May.

Valley forests. S Yunnan (Xishuangbanna) [India, Myanmar].

Canarium strictum, known by common names including black dhup, Raal, Raal dhup and black dammar, is a species of tree in the family Burseraceae (the incense tree family). It is known for the medicinal and commercial use of the resin it exudates, called black dammar.