Between Solo and Yogya

[ganjawulung]

Originally Posted by Kiai Carita

I am very interested in the pilisium wood. The pendok is amazing - I have never seen anything like it. I am currently creating a traditional kebun of aroun 3,5 hectares in a remote part of Ngawi and would very much like to be able to plant some pilisium trees. You wouldn't be able to point me to the right direction to obtain seedlings would you?

And while I am at it, I would also like to plant trees like trembalo, timoho, kemuning, kemuning werut and other types of trees traditionally used for warangka making. If anyone has access or knows of seedlings of these plants I would be gratefull. Especially if they are available in the Yogya-Solo-Madiun area.

Dear Kiai Carita,
If you are in Jakarta, you will see that pilisium or filisium trees are planted for greening the street's border almost everywhere. It seems, that pilisium now is becoming a "favorit" of the "Dinas Pertamanan DKI Jakarta" (gardens affairs service of Jakarta). Logically, they have the seeding plantation somewhere around the capital city.

In the seventies, former Governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin popularized new plants from South America (?) -- Akasia -- for greening the street's border of Jakarta. The greening was good. But unfortunately, many akasia trees often fell to the ground due to heavy storms. Then recently, came this pilisium trees -- the fast growing, and quite robust tree against the occasional storm in the rainy seasons...

Then "came" the keris connoisseurs, who regarded the interesting texture of this pilisium wood. Yes, actually the inside of the pilisium wood is white in colour. The same as "pohon kenari" (canary), or "kemuning". They have good texture -- striped, and if they are processed in a certain way -- will become "tigerlike" skin... Kenari, kemuning, and pilisium wood, they are all have light colour inside. But if they are processed -- in the traditional way: soaked in a "gambier" water and lime stone (gambier is boiled first with water then mixed with limestone) -- they will become "tigerlike" chatoyant... Nowadays, it is possible too if you process the kenari, kemuning and pilisium wood in a certain "chemical liquid" to make chatoyance of such woods. But I don't know exactly, what chemical it is...

Another precious tree for keris lovers, is "timo" or "timoho" tree (Kleinhovia Hospita L). In Yogyakarta, there are only about three (3) left. Two in Mr Adam (bus owner in the centre of Yogya) and the other in the middle of a village alley near Pasar Srandakan (see my picture below, i took it a few years ago). This "sacrified" timo in Srandakan, Bantul (Yogya) was taken care of by an old man not far from the tree. Sometimes, this old man grows a number of timo trees in pots. He will refuse to give them to you, if you say: "I'll buy it", instead of "May I take care of your small tree," and then you "change" in return, with some money...

Timoho trees are not easy to grow. The seed are growing, quite apart from their long roots... Nice to hear that you will plant such tree, Pak Kiai. Good luck..

Ganjawulung