Dipterocarpus crinitus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Dipterocarpus crinitus Dyer

Protologue: Fl. Brit. India 1: 296 (1874).

Synonyms

• Dipterocarpus hirtus Vesque (1874),
• Dipterocarpus tampurau auct. non Korth.

Vernacular names

• Brunei: keruing (m)empelas
• Indonesia: keruing bulu (Sumatra, Kalimantan), amperok (East Kalimantan), mara keluang (Sumatra)
• Malaysia: keruing (m)empelas (general)
• Thailand: yang-khai (peninsular).

Distribution

Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.

Uses

D. crinitus is an important source of keruing. The wood is occasionally used for pulp and paper production. Wood-oil, which is abundant, is collected from the bole. The bark is used for local houses.

Observations

• A large to very large tree of up to 60 m tall, bole tending to become irregular with age, up to 200 cm in diameter, buttresses absent or low, sometimes continuing up to 3 m as ridges, rounded, strongly concave, bark surface dark orange-brown to greyish, scaly, outer bark yellowish-brown to cream; buds oblong, golden-brown tufted tomentose.
• Leaves elliptical, 6-9 cm × 3-5 cm, base obtuse, apex obtuse or shortly acuminate, secondary veins 13-15 pairs, fugaceous pubescent above and on the veins beneath, petiole 1.5-2.5 cm long, stipules lanceolate, obtuse, persistently golden tomentose outside.
• Stamens 15.
• Fruit calyx tube glabrous, spherical, smooth, 2 larger fruit calyx lobes up to 8 cm × 1.5 cm, 3 shorter ones up to 3 mm long.

D. crinitus is widespread and occurs in mixed dipterocarp forest on undulating land and low hills, on leached clay-rich soils, at low altitudes or rarely up to 850 m altitude. The density of the wood is 740-1070 kg/m³at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

30, 89, 102, 140, 258, 297, 318, 417, 461, 479, 514, 628, 677, 685, 737, 748, 799.

Main genus page

• Dipterocarpus (Timbers)

Authors

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