Hopea pubescens (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Hopea pubescens Ridley

Protologue: Fl. Mal. Pen. 1: 239 (1922).

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: merawan bunga, merawan pipit, pengarawan bunga (Peninsular).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia.

Uses

The timber is used as merawan, especially for planking. The tree produces an oleo-resin, but this does not seem to be used. The bark is used for walls and partitions of traditional houses.

Observations

• A medium-sized to fairly large tree of up to 37 m tall, bole branchless for up to 21 m, with a diameter of up to 55 cm and small more or less stilted buttresses, bark surface fissured, dark brown or yellowish on top of the ridges, inner bark light brown tinged pink, sapwood pale yellow ochre; young parts and midrib above densely persistently tawny puberulent.
• Leaves lanceolate, 2.5-6 cm × 1.3-2.8 cm, leathery, base broadly abruptly cuneate, acumen slender, up to 1 cm long, venation dryobalanoid, midrib depressed above, secondary veins about 12 pairs, with shorter veins in between, hardly prominent beneath, indistinct above.
• Stamens 15, ovary ovoid, style somewhat longer than the ovary, columnar.
• 2 longer fruit calyx lobes up to 3.0 cm × 0.6 cm, 3 shorter ones up to 3 mm × 2 mm, ovate, acuminate.

H. pubescens is frequent, sometimes abundant, on well-drained flat land and low hills. The density of the wood is 530-645 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

102, 253, 258, 514, 677, 748.

Main genus page

• Hopea (merawan)

Authors

• K.M. Kochummen (selection of species),
• F.T. Frietema (selection of species)