Shorea obtusa (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Shorea obtusa Wallich ex Blume

Protologue: Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 2: 32, pl. 8 (1862).

Vernacular names

• Burma: thitya
• Cambodia: phchök
• Laos: chik
• Thailand: teng (general)
• Vietnam: cà chắc (southern).

Distribution

Burma, Cambodia, Laos, southern Vietnam and Thailand.

Uses

S. obtusa is an important source of balau timber used for high-grade outdoor constructions. The bark has tanniferous properties.

Observations

• A small to medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall, bole branchless for up to 15 m, up to 65 cm in diameter, exuding dull yellowish dammar; bark scaly, thick, brown.
• Leaves variable, generally oblong, 7.0-11.5 cm × 3.5-9.5 cm, sparsely pubescent below, with 15-20 pairs of secondary veins.
• Petals narrow, stamens 26-29, with a short ciliate appendage.
• Fruit calyx lobes unequal, larger three up to 6 cm × 1.1 cm.

S. obtusa is common in dry deciduous dipterocarp forest at 200-1000 m altitude. The density of the wood is 830-1040 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

235, 258, 628, 748.

Main genus page

• Shorea (balau)

Authors

• M.S.M. Sosef (selection of species)