Jelutung (Chewing Gum Tree)

Dyera costulata

Family: Apocynaceae

Jelutung's flowers bloom at night or nocturnal, opening between 5–7pm and falling off the next morning at about 5–7am. Flowering lasts for about 10 days. The ground underneath the jelutong seemed to be blanketed by snow from the small white fragrant flowers littering the ground when it fell. Jelutong can be tapped for latex and from the 1920s through the 1960s, jelutong latex was an important source of chewing gum.

The wood with low density, straight grain, and fine texture means it is easy to work with and hence popular with model makers and within the patternmaking trade.