Hopea acuminata (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Hopea acuminata Merr.

Protologue: Philipp. Govt. Lab. Bur. Bull. 29: 30 (1905).

Synonyms

• Hopea maquilingensis Foxw. (1918).

Vernacular names

• Philippines: manggachapui (general), dalingdingan (Tagalog, Samar-Leyte Bisaya), manggasinoro (Tagalog).

Distribution

The Philippines.

Uses

The timber is a lightweight merawan, generally used for bridges, ship building and rough construction, especially doors, sills and flooring board. The bark contains tannin which can be used in the production of leather. It is also used in the manufacture of tannin-formaldehyde adhesive.

Observations

• A medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 35 m tall, bole often branching low, with a diameter of up to 90 cm, bark surface flaky, with distinct ridges forming a network, ridges brown to nearly black, furrows light brown to yellowish, inner bark light yellowish.
• Leaves elliptical-falcate to ovate-lanceolate, 4.5-12 cm × 2-4.5 cm, thin leathery, base unequal, cuneate, acumen slender, tapering, up to 1 cm long, venation scalariform, midrib applanate above, 9-11 pairs of secondary veins, arched at 45-65°.
• Stamens 10, equal, anthers oblong, ovary and stylopodium broadly cylindrical, truncate, slightly tapering, densely pubescent
• 2 longer fruit calyx lobes up to 5.5 cm × 1 cm, 3 shorter ones up to 3 mm × 2 mm, elliptical.

H. acuminata is widespread and common in evergreen and semi-evergreen forest at (100-)300-800 m altitude. The density of the wood is 625-725 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

175, 258, 449, 579, 593, 748.

Main genus page

• Hopea (merawan)

Authors

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