Shorea falcifera (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Shorea falcifera Dyer ex Brandis

Protologue: Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 31: 86 (1895).

Synonyms

• Shorea flava Meijer (1963),
• Shorea glauca Browne (1955) non King p.p.

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: selangan batu kering (Sarawak).

Distribution

East coast of Peninsular Malaysia, north-eastern Sumatra and Sarawak.

Uses

The wood is an important source of balau.

Observations

• A medium-sized to large tree up to 45 m tall with bole up to 160 cm in diameter and buttresses up to 1.5 m high.
• Leaves narrowly ovate, 6.5-12 cm × 2.5-5 cm, lower surface white, with about 10 pairs of secondary veins and an unequal base.
• Petals narrow, stamens 33-34 with barbate filaments.
• Fruit calyx lobes unequal, larger three up to 9.5 cm × 1.8 cm.

S. falcifera is locally abundant on rocky or sandy hills or flat land near the coast up to about 600 m altitude. The density of the wood is 970-1130 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

31, 89, 258, 474, 748.

Main genus page

• Shorea (balau)

Authors

• M.S.M. Sosef (selection of species)