Shorea leprosula (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Shorea leprosula Miq.

Protologue: Fl. Ind. Bat., Suppl.: 191, 487 (1861).

Synonyms

• Hopea maranti Miq. (1861),
• Shorea maranti (Miq.) Burck (1887).

Vernacular names

• Brunei: meranti tembaga
• Indonesia: meranti tembaga (general), kontoi bayor (West Kalimantan), lempong kumbang (East Kalimantan)
• Malaysia: meranti tembaga (general), meranti pusuh (Sarawak), seraya tembaga (Sabah)
• Thailand: saya-daeng, ta yom (Thai, peninsular).

Distribution

Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.

Uses

S. leprosula is one of the commonest light red meranti timbers. A resin called "damar daging" is found between the roots and is used in traditional medicine. The bark is used for tanning.

Observations

• A large to very large tree up to 60 m tall with bole branchless for up to 35 m and up to 175 cm in diameter, buttresses up to 2 m high.
• Leaves elliptical to ovate, 8-14 cm × 3.5-5.5 cm, with 12-15 pairs of secondary veins, lower surface cream tomentose and lepidote, with domatia.
• Stamens 15, anthers subglobose, with short appendages, stylopodium ovoid.
• Larger fruit calyx lobes up to 10 cm × 2 cm.

S. leprosula is common on well-drained or swampy sites on clay soils below 700 m altitude. The density of the wood is 300-865 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

30, 89, 100, 102, 123, 125, 137, 253, 258, 297, 318, 413, 417, 461, 514, 628, 644, 645, 677, 743, 748.

Main genus page

• Shorea (red meranti)

Authors

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