Dipterocarpus lowii (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Dipterocarpus lowii Hook.f.

Protologue: Trans. Linn. Soc., London 23: 160 (1860).

Synonyms

• Dipterocarpus undulatus Vesque (1874).

Vernacular names

• Brunei: keruing sol (Malay), resak butoh biawak (Iban)
• Indonesia: keruing batu (Sumatra, Kalimantan), sindur betul (West Kalimantan)
• Malaysia: keruing sol (general), kalup puteh (Sabah), keruing macham (Peninsular).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.

Uses

D. lowii is an important source of keruing timber. The bole contains abundant wood-oil.

Observations

• A large tree of up to 55 m tall, bole straight, up to 190 cm in diameter, buttresses up to 2.5 m high, spreading, bark surface chocolate-brown, evenly grey-brown flaked, not shaggy; buds broadly conical, frequently falcate, pale golden-brown pubescent.
• Leaves ovate-lanceolate, 15-20 cm × 6-10 cm, base obtuse or cordate, apex obtuse or with up to 6 mm long narrow acumen, strongly plicate between the 15-20 pairs of secondary veins, midrib and veins below more or less densely caducously pubescent, petiole 1.5-3 cm long, stipules broadly deltoid, acute.
• Stamens about 30.
• Fruit calyx tube globose, glabrescent, with 5 wings completely hiding the tube by inward folds, 2 larger fruit calyx lobes up to 14 cm × 3.5 cm, 3 shorter ones 1.5-2 cm × 2 cm.

D. lowii occurs on well-drained, leached, usually sandy soils in lowland dipterocarp forest up to 400 m altitude. It is locally common on ultrabasic soil in Sabah. The density of the wood is 770-930 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

30, 31, 89, 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)