Gmelina arborea (gamhar)

Gmelina arborea is native to Pakistan, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Indo-China and South China. It is found in tropical forest to 1,100 metres above sea level. Gamhar has also been introduced to most tropical countries as a timber tree.

Flowers of Gmelina arborea (Image: Gemma Bramley, RBG Kew)

Gamhar is a tree that can grow to 30 m high, with smooth, whitish to greyish reddish-brown bark and a straight trunk. Its leaves are 8 to 20 cm long, 4.5 to 15 cm wide, and covered with star-shaped hairs. Two large glands are paired at the base of each leaf. The outer surface of the calyx (sepals) is scattered with flat, round glands. The flowers are reddish-yellow, hairy and five-lobed. The hairless fruits are 10 to 15 mm in diameter and glossy yellow when mature. They are recorded as having a bittersweet taste.

Gmelina arborea is not considered to be threatened, and can be found growing in the wild in many countries, as well as in large numbers in plantations.

Kew's Millennium Seed Bank partnership aims to save plant life world wide, focusing on plants under threat and those of most use in the future. Seeds are dried, packaged and stored at a sub-zero temperature in our seed bank vault.

Description of seeds: The fruit is a one- to four-seeded drupe. Seeds are dispersed by animals. Average 1000 seed weight = 923 g.
Number of seed collections stored in the Millennium Seed Bank: 1
Seed storage behaviour: Orthodox (the seeds of this plant survive being dried without significantly reducing their viability, and are therefore amenable to long-term frozen storage such as at the MSB)

Close up of Gamhar in Sabah (Image: Rogier de Kok)

Gamhar thrives in full sunlight, although it can tolerate some shade. It is moderately frost-hardy, and can recover quickly from frost injuries. It grows best in fertile, well-drained soils, and is normally propagated by seed. For rapid germination, fresh seed should be soaked in cold water for 48 hours. The seed should then be sown in a mixture of sand and loam at 22 - 25 ˚C, and will germinate within two to three weeks. An alternative method of propagation involves taking cuttings from the tips of two- to three-week-old plants. The cuttings should be 12 cm long and include the terminal bud and four to six leaves, each reduced to one third of its surface area. Cuttings should be misted and kept at 22 - 25 ˚C. It is also possible to propagate this species by layering or grafting.

There are 33 specimens of Gmelina arborea in the Economic Botany Collection and these include samples of wood, fruits, roots and artefacts such as a wooden bowl.

The Herbarium (one of the behind-the-scenes areas of Kew) contains many dried specimens of Gmelina arborea. The details of one of these specimens, collected in Brazil in 1989, can be seen in the Herbarium Catalogue.

Flora Zambesiaca - Gmelina arborea

Gmelina factsheet

Seed Information Database - Gmelina arborea

Search Kew's databases for more information on this species