The tree is native to China and Japan. It has been successfully cultivated throughout the world. It has become naturalized in Pakistan and can be found almost anywhere from 0 to 1700 m elevation.

The wood is white and lustrous when first exposed, turning light grayish-white with age, without any characteristic odour and taste. The wood is light weight, straight grained, fairly even and very coarse textured.

The growth rings are not distinct. The wood is ring-porous. The earlywood vessels are appreciable large, visible with naked eye, 151. 91-404.89 µ in diameter, arranged in concentric rows forming band in the begging of the growth rings, occur singly or sometimes forming radial rows and are3-6/mm2 in number. The latewood vessels are small to very small ,43.24-168.73µ in diameter, mostly occur in groups and are 3-22/mm2 in number. The parenchyma is abundant, paratracheal, paratracheal zonate and metatracheal. Paratracheal parenchyma is abundant, surrounding vessels or vessel groups. The paratracheal zonate parenchyma cells attached to the vessels strongly peripherally flattened. The metatracheal parenchyma relatively sparse and scattered. The rays are of two types, the broad rays that are visible to the naked eye on the cross surface of wood and the fine rays. In tangential section the rays are 4-7/mm2 in number and in cross section the rays are 2-4mm. The largest rays are 50-cells (904µ) in height and 16- cells (108-µ) in width. The fibers are non-libriform, non-septate and gelatinous,0.58-1.35mm long, 11.85-31.4 µ in diameter with 1.84-4.39 µ wall-thickness.

Cross view of White Bakain wood Tangential view of White Bakain wood Wood Fibers of White Bakain

The wood of white Bakain can be used for cabinet work, in turned objects and pulp and products.

1. Sheikh, M.I.1993. Trees of Pakistan. Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar.pp-30.