Shorea albida (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Shorea albida Sym.

Protologue: Gard. Bull. Str. Settl. 8: 283, pl. 26 (1935).

Vernacular names

• Brunei: seringawan
• Malaysia: alan, alan bunga (Sarawak).

Distribution

North-western Borneo.

Uses

S. albida is an important source of dark red meranti timber. Comparatively heavy timber is sometimes traded as "alan batu" which is similar to red balau. Lighter material is called "alan bunga".

Observations

• A medium-sized to very large tree up to 70 m tall, with a long bole up to 190 cm in diameter, buttresses prominent, up to 5 m high, twigs compressed.
• Leaves oblong-elliptical, 7.5-15 cm × 4.5-6.5 cm, with 16-20 pairs of secondary veins, midrib obscure above.
• Stamens 20-25, anthers narrowly oblong.
• Larger fruit calyx lobes up to 8 cm × 1.4 cm.

S. albida occurs typically in peat-swamp forest and locally on podzolic soils in heath forest up to 1200 m altitude. The density of the wood is variable: 590-850 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

30, 89, 258, 748.

Authors

M.S.M. Sosef (selection of species)

Main genus page

• Shorea (red meranti)