Agroforestree Database

Local names:
 Burmese (du-yin), English (civet fruit,thurian,civet-cat tree,durian), Filipino (dulian), German (durianßaum,Zibetßaum), Indonesian (kadu,ambetan,duren), Javanese (duren,ambetan), Khmer (thu-réén), Lao (Sino-Tibetan) (thourièn), Malay (durian kampong,dur

Durio zibethinus is a medium to large buttressed tree, up to 45 m tall in dense lowland forests and 10-15 m in orchards and backyards; bark dark red brown, peeling off irregularly.

Leaves elliptic or lanceolate-elliptic, 10-15 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, papery; base acute; apex acuminate, upper surface glabrous, glossy, lower surface densely covered with silvery or golden scales; secondary veins in about 15 pairs, distinctly looping near the margin; venation indistinct below. Petioles 1-1.5 cm long, angular.

Flowers in fascicles of corymbose inflorescences. Pedicels 5-7 cm long; calyx saccate, flattened at the base, with tube about 2 cm long and 1.5 cm in diameter; petals white or creamy, spathulate, 5 cm long and 2 cm wide at the broadest part. Stamen white, 4 cm long in 5 distinct phalanges, each filament with up to 12 reniform anthers dehiscing by a slit. Ovary ovoid; style slender, 4 cm long, stigma yellow. 

Fruit varies greatly in size; 15-25 cm in diameter, green to yellowish brown, with spines that are variable in length and shape. Seeds chestnut-brown, completely enclosed in a thick, white or yellow, soft, sweet, fragrant aril.

The generic epithet is derived from the Malay word 'duri' (thorn), alluding to the spiny fruit.

Ecology

Durian is strictly tropical; it grows successfully near the equator, and up to 18 deg from the equator in Thailand and Australia. At these extreme latitudes, extension growth comes to a halt during coolest months. It needs well-distributed rainfall, but a relatively dry spell stimulates and synchronizes flowering.

Native range
Indonesia, Malaysia

Tree management

Young trees benefit from 30-50% shade until they are 1 m high, at which time they should be gradually introduced to full sun. The trees are mulched lightly on a regular basis with application of animal manure, watered well during the growing season and only sparingly in winter to induce prolific flowering in spring and early summer.

During the 1st years after planting, the trees are shaped by removing orthorpic limbs, including watershoots, and by thinning out plagiotropic laterals. Trees bear fruit best on limbs that are more or less horizontal; upright limbs contribute more to tree size and height. Pruning dominant upright laterals to maintain 1 central leader is essential.

The low productivity of durian orchards is attributed to low planting densities and a long juvenile phase. Intercropping with cocoa could improve productivity through several aspects of the cropping system, such as provision of shade.

Seeds are recalcitrant; they lose viability within 2 weeks. They tolerate desiccation to 41.5% mc if dried slowly, to 38.5% mc if dried rapidly. Excised embryos tolerated desiccation to 53.9% mc, and none survived further desiccation to 40.1% mc. There are between 60-70 seeds/kg.

Durian is strictly tropical; it grows successfully near the equator, and up to 18 deg from the equator in Thailand and Australia. At these extreme latitudes, extension growth comes to a halt during coolest months. It needs well-distributed rainfall, but a relatively dry spell stimulates and synchronizes flowering.

D. zibethinus is often propagated by direct sowing of seeds. In Indonesia, D. zibethinus is largely raised from seed, although several methods for clonal propagation are practised. Vegetative methods of propagation were developed in the 1920s; commonly used is the modified forked method of patch budding, in which a bud from a relatively young branch is grafted onto a 2-month-old seedling rootstock. The scions flower and fruit when about 4 years old. In commercial orchards, selections are propagated by grafting onto seedlings of the cultivated species or occasionally on those of D. malaccensis, a wild relative. Durian fruits in 7-8 years under orchard conditions. In Malaysia and Singapore, vegetative propagation by etiolation has been successfully done.

  Durian fruit is a good source of carbohydrates and also contains significant amounts of protein and vitamins B and C. Its rich pulp is eaten raw, cooked as a vegetable, frozen or dried for later use. Indonesians ferment the pulp for a side dish or mix the fleshy arils with rice and sugar to produce a local dish, lempong. The seeds can be boiled or roasted and used as confections.

Apiculture: The nectar and pollen that honeybees collect from the tree is an important honey source. The honey characteristics are however not known (Eva,Crane).

Timber:  Heartwood is dark red. The relatively durable wood is used in interior construction and for making cheaper types of furniture and packing cases.