Hopea plagata (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Hopea plagata (Blanco) S. Vidal

Protologue: Sinopsis: t. 15A (1883).

Synonyms

• Dipterocarpus plagatus Blanco (1845),
• Hopea dasyrrachis P. Ashton (1968) non v. Slooten.

Vernacular names

• Philippines: yakal saplungan (general), taggai (Iloko, Negrito), paina (Tagalog).

Distribution

The Philippines and north-eastern Borneo.

Uses

H. plagata is the most widespread heavy construction timber in the Philippines, used for general house construction (especially for posts), ship building, for bridges, wharves and railway ties.

Observations

• A large tree of up to 55 m tall, bole with a diameter of up to 180 cm, buttressed, bark surface flaky; all parts glabrous.
• Leaves elliptical-lanceolate to ovate, 6-12 cm × 2.5-7 cm, more or less falcate, leathery, base cuneate to obtuse, more or less markedly unequal, acumen tapering, up to 1.5 cm long, venation scalariform, midrib raised above, secondary veins 8-11(-12) pairs, slender, elevated beneath, applanate above, ascending at 35-65°.
• Stamens about 35, subequal, anthers elongate, ovary ovoid, with obscure stylopodium and short broad style.
• 2 longer fruit calyx lobes up to 4.5 cm × 2.0 cm, broadly oblong-spatulate, sometimes suborbicular, 3 shorter ones up to 7 mm × 4 mm, ovate.

H. plagata is widespread and common in semi-evergreen seasonal forest or (less often) evergreen non-seasonal forest on limestone (Sarawak); often on coastal hills and ridges, at low and medium altitude. The density of the wood is about 1100 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

175, 258, 579, 599, 748, 815.

Main genus page

• Hopea (giam)

Authors

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