Heritiera globosa (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Heritiera globosa Kosterm.

Protologue: Penerb. Madj. Ilmu Peng. Indon. 1: 22 (1959). Also in: Reinwardtia 4: 484 (1959).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: dungun besar (Kalimantan).

Distribution

Borneo.

Uses

The timber is used as dungun; it is the main source of dungun in Borneo.

Observations

• A medium-sized to fairly large tree, up to 35 m tall with usually short bole up to 100 cm in diameter, with wavy buttresses extending far out.
• Leaves simple, densely scaly beneath, petioles 2-4 cm long.
• Panicles up to 10 cm long.
• Fruit subglobose, with a small keel-like wing at apex, glabrous.

Like H. littoralis, H. globosa usually grows behind the tidal zone of the mangrove belt. It can be distinguished from the latter species by its large size, the coppery (not silvery) lower leaf surface, and by the shape of the fruit. The wood has similar properties to that of H. littoralis. The density of the wood is 835-865 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

33, 100, 378, 447, 703.

Main genus page

• Heritiera

Authors

• R.H.M.J. Lemmens (selection of species)