Indian Pulai

Color/Appearance: Heartwood is light to golden brown, not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. Intermittent latex canals are sometimes present and appear as slits in the wood. The wood can also be susceptible to fungal staining if not dried properly. 

Grain/Texture: Grain is usually straight or slightly interlocked. With a fine to medium texture and low natural luster.

Rot Resistance: Rated as perishable; poor insect resistance.

Workability: Easy to work with both hand and machine tools. Poor bending properties. Turns, glues, and finishes well.

Odor: Can have a strong unpleasant odor when green, diminishing somewhat in dry wood. 

Allergies/Toxicity: Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, Indian pulai has been reported to cause skin irritation—possibly in conjunction with the latex canals found in the trunk. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

Pricing/Availability: Most pulai that’s used commercially is harvested from South and Southeast Asia, while Australian trees are typically only used for limited craft or specialist applications. Prices are low within its natural range.

Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is reported by the IUCN as being a species of least concern.

Common Uses: Patterns and forms, blackboards (historically), utility lumber, carvings, and turned objects. Generally not regarded as strong enough for use in structural applications.

Comments: Alstonia scholaris is a tree with many common names in a number of different regions, all for different reasons. Within Australia, this wood is commonly referred to as white cheesewood,  or milky pine, in reference to the milk-like latex that is exuded from the tree.

Outside of Australia, the lumber is called pulai in trade throughout Southeast Asia. Historically, the wood has also been used in the manufacture of school blackboards, hence the common name blackboard tree—as well as the species name, scholaris.