Koompassia malaccensis (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Koompassia malaccensis Maingay ex Benth.

Protologue: Hooker's Icon. pl.: t. 1164 (1873).

Synonyms

• Koompassia beccariana Taubert (1892).

Distribution

Southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, the Riau Archipelago, Bangka, Belitung and Borneo.

Uses

The timber is used as kempas. The wood is sometimes used as firewood.

Observations

• A very large tree up to 60 m tall with columnar bole on average 60 cm in diameter but sometimes up to 210 cm, and large buttresses, bark very finely, irregularly, closely fissured, dark grey or blackish to reddish-brown, crown made up of large sub-crowns.
• Leaves with 5-9(-14) leaflets of 5.5-12.5 cm × 2-4 cm.
• Flowers small, sepals and petals up to 3 mm long, ovary compressed globular, hairy.
• Pod 9.5-13 cm long.

K. malaccensis is considered to be the third commonest big forest tree in Peninsular Malaysia and occurs from sea-level up to 600 m altitude. It is a frequently encountered tree in peat-swamp forests. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

39, 42, 45, 46, 73, 74, 89, 100, 102, 135, 144, 146, 159, 183, 185, 190, 237, 239, 252, 297, 298, 359, 417, 426, 428, 448, 462, 506, 507, 518, 538, 562, 564, 578, 581, 601, 609, 611, 626, 779, 784, 806.

Main genus page

• Koompassia

Authors

• Wan Razali Wan Mohd (selection of species)