Dipterocarpus sublamellatus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Dipterocarpus sublamellatus Foxw.

Protologue: Mal. For. Rec. 10: 92, pl. 8 (1932).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: lagan buih, masibuk (Sumatra), malitan (East Kalimantan)
• Malaysia: keruing kerut (general), keruing padi, keruing sugi (Peninsular).

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.

Uses

D. sublamellatus is an important source of keruing timber in Peninsular Malaysia. A wood-oil can be obtained from the bole.

Observations

• A large or very large tree of up to 70 m tall, bole tall, up to 255 cm in diameter, buttresses low, 10-15 cm thick, straight to slightly concave, bark surface scaly, dark orange-brown, outer bark brown, inner bark orange-brown, sapwood straw-yellow, grading into the hard rusty-brown heartwood; buds ellipsoid-ovoid, pale fulvous hirsute, rarely glabrous.
• Leaves ovate to elliptical, 5-15 cm × 3.5-8 cm, base broadly cuneate, acumen short, up to 1 cm long in young trees, secondary veins 8-12 pairs, beneath sparsely caducously pubescent, petiole 1.5-3 cm long, stipules lorate, acute, outside densely hirsute.
• Stamens about 24.
• Fruit calyx tube globose, with 5 undulate wings, 2 larger fruit calyx lobes up to 12 cm × 3 cm, 3 shorter ones up to 5 mm × 7 mm.

D. sublamellatus is locally common, especially in moist places and occurs on undulating land and low hills up to 500 m altitude. The density of the wood is 675-880 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

31, 140, 253, 258, 297, 417, 476, 677, 748, 799.

Main genus page

• Dipterocarpus (Timbers)

Authors

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