Merbau

Intsia bijuga, commonly known as Borneo teak, ipil, merbau, Johnstone River teak and kwila, among many other names, is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae, native to coastal areas from east Africa, through India and Southeast Asia to Australia and the western Pacific. It has significant importance to Indigenous cultures in many parts of its range, but is also threatened by illegal logging because of its high quality timber. It is an evergreen tree, most commonly found in tropical coastal forests, with compound leaves and flowers whose one developed petal is white and turns pink or red with age. The fruit is a flat woody pod. The timber was used in Indigenous communities for house building, canoes and rafts, and for carving ornaments and tools. A dye can be extracted from the wood, and an insect repellent can be made from the seeds. Decoctions from various parts of the tree have been used to treat diarrhoea, rheumatism, pain, colds and influenza. It is the official tree of Guam, and the tree is sacred to Fijian people.