Hopea beccariana (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Hopea beccariana Burck

Protologue: Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg 6: 240 (1887).

Synonyms

• Hopea intermedia King (1893),
• Balanocarpus ovalifolius Ridley (1920).

Vernacular names

• Brunei: selangan hijau, garang buaya daun kechil (Malay), chengai pasir (Iban)
• Indonesia: amang jankar (West Kalimantan), lempong mit (East Kalimantan), nuas nyerakat hitam (south-eastern Kalimantan)
• Malaysia: merawan batu, jangkang, (Peninsular), selangan penak (Sabah, Sarawak).

Distribution

Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, eastern Sumatra and Borneo.

Uses

H. beccariana is an important source of heavy merawan timber. It is used locally for house supports and boat hulls. The tree is an important source of dammar ("damar mata kucing") in Peninsular Malaysia.

Observations

• A medium-sized to large tree up to 45 m tall, bole straight, cylindical, branchless to a considerable height and with a diameter of up to 110 cm, buttresses sharp, usually slightly, sometimes markedly, stilted, bark surface fissured, the ridges dark brown, inner bark light brown tinged pink, sapwood pale yellow-ochre, exuding a clear dammar; young twigs, buds and petioles waxy glaucescent.
• Leaves ovate, 5-8 cm × 2-4.5 cm, thin leathery, base cuneate, frequently subequal, acumen slender, up to 1.5 cm long, margin not revolute, venation dryobalanoid, midrib slightly raised above, secondary veins about 8 pairs, indistinct, main secondaries almost reaching the margin.
• Stamens 15, anthers broadly oblong, ovary and stylopodium hour-glass-shaped, tapering into the short style.
• 2 longer fruit calyx lobes up to 3.5 cm × 1 cm, twisted, 3 shorter ones up to 7 mm long, acute.

H. beccariana is widespread on coastal hills and on deep soils on inland ridges (especially in Peninsular Malaysia), occasionally up to 1200 m altitude. The density of the wood is 620-1000 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

30, 89, 100, 102, 253, 258, 318, 324, 476, 514, 677, 748.

Main genus page

• Hopea (merawan)

Authors

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