Dipterocarpus caudiferus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Dipterocarpus caudiferus Merr.

Protologue: Philipp. Journ. Sc. 29: 398 (1926).

Synonyms

• Dipterocarpus macrorrhinus v. Slooten (1927),
• Dipterocarpus kutaianus v. Slooten (1940).

Vernacular names

• Brunei: keruing puteh
• Indonesia: andri, keruing anderi, keruing kutai (Kalimantan)
• Malaysia: keruing puteh (Sarawak, Sabah), keruing laran (Sarawak).

Distribution

Borneo.

Uses

The timber is an important source of keruing.

Observations

• A very large tree of up to 65 m tall, bole very tall, straight and cylindrical, up to 160 cm in diameter, buttresses few, up to 3.5 m tall, to 2 m long, and to 12 cm thick, bark surface pale pink-grey to pale brown, appearing smooth, inner bark pale yellow, turning pale yellowish-brown on exposure, hard, sapwood pale yellow, heartwood deep pinkish-brown; buds lanceolate, silky tomentose.
• Leaves elliptical, 11-20 cm × 5-15 cm, base obtuse or cuneate, apex prominently acuminate, secondary veins 12-20 pairs, petiole 3-4 cm long, stipules linear.
• Stamens 25.
• Fruit calyx tube spherical, glabrous, smooth, 2 larger fruit calyx lobes 12-17 cm × 2-3 cm, 3 shorter ones 4-6 mm × 5-7 mm.

D. caudiferus is a common lowland keruing in Borneo and occurs on clay soils in mixed dipterocarp forest on undulating land and hillsides below 800 m altitude. The density of the wood is 510-865 kg/m³at 15% moisture content. The wood is considered poorly resistant to fungal decay, but not difficult to impregnate. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

30, 258, 461, 476, 748, 790.

Main genus page

• Dipterocarpus (Timbers)

Authors

• T. Smitinand (selection of species),
• C. Phengklai (selection of species),
• L.E. Groen (selection of species)