Dipterocarpus verrucosus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Dipterocarpus verrucosus Foxw. ex v. Slooten

Protologue: Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 8: 293 (1927).

Vernacular names

• Brunei: keruing merah
• Indonesia: keruing beras (Kalimantan, Sumatra), ariung (East Kalimantan, Sumatra), bajan halus daun (South Kalimantan)
• Malaysia: keruing merah (general), keruing chayer, keruing terenek (Peninsular).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.

Uses

D. verrucosus is an important source of keruing timber, especially in Brunei and parts of Peninsular Malaysia. A wood-oil can be obtained from the bole.

Observations

• A large to very large tree of up to 60 m tall, bole straight, cylindrical, branchless for up to 35 m, up to 160 cm in diameter, buttresses up to 2 m tall, broad, bark surface flaky, uniform pale orange-brown or buff; buds narrowly falcate to narrowly conical, adpressed tufted golden-brown pubescent.
• Leaves ovate, 6-12 cm × 3.5-6 cm, base cuneate, apex subacute or with an up to 5 mm long acumen, secondary veins 9-14 pairs, prominent, glabrous, petiole 1-2 cm long, stipules narrowly oblong, obtuse, outside sparsely pubescent.
• Stamens 15.
• Fruit calyx tube globose to slightly ovoid, smooth but verrucose lenticelled, glabrescent, 2 larger fruit calyx lobes up to 9 cm × 2 cm, 3 shorter ones up to 3 mm × 2 mm.

D. verrucosus is locally frequent or semi-gregarious and occurs in mixed dipterocarp forest on clay-rich soil, with a preference for ridges below 650 m altitude. The density of the wood is 675-920 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

30, 31, 140, 253, 258, 297, 417, 461, 476, 677, 737, 748.

Main genus page

• Dipterocarpus (Timbers)

Authors

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