Litsea glutinosa (soft bollygum, bolly beech, bollywood, sycamore, brown beech…) is a rainforest tree in the Lauraceae family.
Litsea is a medium-sized tree that can grow up to 10m in height. The bark is brown or gray, thin, clear with viscous substance. Mature branches are cylindrical, smooth; young branches have edges, hairy. Leaves are alternate, often clustered at the tips of branches, very variable in size, 7-20cm in length, 4-10cm in width, oval or elongated, the base of the leaves rounded or pointed, the tip pointed or obtuse; petioles hairy; The leaves are tough, hard to crush, and when crushed, it secretes a viscous substance. Flowers grow in clusters, unisexual at the same base, pale yellow. Berries, globose, black.
Litsea is distributed at an altitude of 600-700m asl, grows in low places in secondary forests, often found in forest mouths and along large streams. Light-loving plants grow quickly, have the ability to regenerate seeds, strong shoots, suitable for mixed clay, moist, often grow in thick, humus-rich soil. All parts of Litsea have sticky mucus, most often in the bark, often used to stick pulp, make incense. The leaves are used as animal fodder. The fruit is harvested to press the oil to make wax and soap.
