Makha

Family: Fabaceae beans
Order: Fabales Beans

Identifying characteristics:
Large, deciduous tree, 25-30 m tall, trunk diameter 0.8-1 m. The bark is gray brown, rough, with many brown holes on the surface. Young branches are smooth. Leaves are once evenly pinnate , with 3-5 pairs of leaflets; The leaflets are oval, 5-6 cm long, 4-5 cm wide, with pointed tips, obtuse bases, smooth on both sides. Inflorescences are cylindrical at the top of the branches, 5-15 cm long. Calyx tubular, 10-12 mm high, top with 5 lobes. Corolla pink, 5-12 mm long, hairy inside. Stamens 7, slightly fused at the base. The bulb is 7 mm high, hairy. The bean pod is 15-20 cm long, 6-9 cm wide, 2-3 cm thick. When the pod matures, it turns dark brown and has 5-8 seeds. The seeds are ovoid, 25-30 mm long, 18-24 mm thick, dark brown or black, with a hard, orange seed coat at the base.

Biology and ecology:
The tree loses its leaves around December, and in January-February (the following year) produces young leaves, flowers around March-April, and fruits ripen in October-November. Regenerates well by seed. The tree is found in tropical moist forests, at altitudes of 300-700 m (sometimes up to 1000 m), on flat land or on drained slopes, rarely found along streams.

Distribution:
Domestic: Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam, Kontum, Gia Lai (An Khe, Chu Prong), Dak Lak (Krong Bong), Lam Dong, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Dong Nai, City. Ho Chi Minh.
World: China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia.

Value:
The wood is hard, durable, has beautiful colors and grains , and is used to make household items, make carved sculptures, and make high-quality wooden furniture and fine arts items.

Status:
As a very precious wood, Redwood is often hunted and exploited very intensively. In addition, habitat has decreased due to deforestation. Therefore, the number of mature individuals has decreased very rapidly, and now we rarely encounter large individuals.

Classification: EN A1c,d .

Protection measures:
The species has been recorded in the Vietnam Red Book (1996) with the assessment level "will be endangered" (Level V) and the List of endangered and rare forest plants and animals (group 2) of Decree No. 32/ 2006/ND - CP dated March 30, 2006 of the Government to limit exploitation and use for commercial purposes. It has been protected in a number of nature reserves but is still hunted and exploited. Collecting seeds for planting is a way to preserve seeds and protect precious genetic resources.

Document cited: Vietnam Red Book 2007 – Plant section – Page 146.