Common name: Bayur Tree

Bayur, or Dinner Plate Tree, is a timber and landscape tree native to India and Asia, with a natural range extending from the Himalayan foothills and hilly parts of central and eastern India through Myanmar (Burma) to southern China.

It is a variable-sized tree, reaching up to 24 m (80 ft) in the cooler parts of its range but rarely exceeding 15 m (50 ft) in warmer areas. Most trees develop a straight trunk supporting a rounded or irregularly-shaped crown of gently ascending branches. The bark is smooth and grey on young trees, becoming rougher and darker with age.

The leaves are maple-shaped, very large, dark glossy green on top, and silvery underneath. In the wetter parts of its range, where the dry season is short, they remain on the tree year-round but fall elsewhere, leaving the tree nearly leafless for a brief period.

The flowers are large, creamy-white, showy and sweetly fragrant, especially at night to attract bats, the tree's specialist pollinators. They bloom in spring but are short-lived, lasting only one night. However, their fragrance lingers on even after they have wilted and fallen to the ground. 

The fertilised flowers are followed by cucumber-shaped seed capsules that persist on the tree for up to twelve months, turning brown as they mature. They contain numerous seeds which are winged and designed for wind dispersal.

Flower

Environmental uses

Flowering ornamental - Bayur is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental for its showy,

Fragrant plant - ...and sweetly fragrant flowers,

Shade tree - ...and its large leaves, which cast a deep shade, making it a popular shade tree in its native India.

Foliage ornamental - In the dry season, the downy, silvery underside of the leaves lightens, creating an eye-catching silver-and-green contrast as they move in the wind.

Material uses

Hardwood - The wood is medium-weight, ranging from 540 to 600 kg per cubic meter (34 to 37 lbs per cubic ft), with low natural resistance to decay, which limits its outdoor use.

Manufactured wood - Its use is mainly confined to making plywood,

Boxes, crates and pallets - ...packing boxes and crates,

Wood craft and wares - ...and safety matches and matchboxes.

Deodoriser - People collect spent flowers in its native range for use in clothing and linen cupboards as a deodoriser, adding a light fragrance to the clothes, sheets, and towels stored there.

Natural packaging - People traditionally use the large leaves to wrap small articles. They are also used as serving plates or platters. 

Climate

Grows naturally and has its best development in moderately humid to very humid subtropical and tropical climates, generally areas with annual lows of 10 to 21°C, annual highs of 20 to 33°C, annual rainfall of 1200 to 5500 mm and a dry season of 7 months or less. 

Although also found in areas with annual rainfall of less than 1200 mm, the trees are usually close to a pond, swamp or watercourse, where the roots have water during dry periods.

Growing

New plants are mostly started from seed, which remain viable for up to twelve months under cool, dry storage. 

It performs best in loam soils that are moderately acidic to neutral, generally with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5, and in sites with full to partial sun exposure. It tolerates seasonal flooding well.

Problem features

There do not appear to be any records of escape and naturalisation anywhere, despite its introduction into areas outside of its native range. It is known to sprout root suckers, which can be a major gardening problem.

Books

• Barwick, M., et al. 2004, Tropical & subtropical trees : a worldwide encyclopaedic guide, Thames and Hudson, London

• Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (India) 1948 - 1976 (11 volumes), The Wealth of India : a dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products, Delhi

• Dey, S.C. 1996, Fragrant flowers for homes and gardens, trade and industry, Abhinav Publications, New Delhi, India

• Krishen, P. 2006, Trees of Delhi : a field guide, Dorling Kindersley Publishers, Delhi

• Mathias, M. E., 1982, Flowering plants in the landscape, University of California Press, Berkeley

• Menninger, E. A. 1962, Flowering trees of the world for tropics and warm climates, 1st ed., Heathside Press, New York

• Randall, R. P. 2007, The introduced flora of Australia and its weed status, Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management, Glen Osmond, South Australia

• Scheffer, T. C & Morrell, J. J. 1998, Natural durability of wood : a worldwide checklist of species, Forest Research Laboratory, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

• Troup, R.S. & Joshi, H. B. 1975 to 1981, Silviculture of Indian Trees (3 volumes), Government of India Publications, New Delhi

Articles, Journals, Reports and Working Papers

• S.Mohammad Yasin. 1994, Predicting the suitability of a wood species of known density for producing desired density particleboard.

• Singh, K. P. & Kushwaha, C. P. 2006, Diversity of flowering and fruiting phenology of trees in a tropical deciduous forest in India, Oxford University Press