Shorea selanica (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Shorea selanica (DC.) Blume

Protologue: Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 2: 33 (1852).

Synonyms

• Engelhardtia selanica (DC.) Blume (1828),
• Hopea selanica (DC.) Wight & Arn. (1834).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: meranti bapa (general), biahut (Buru), kayu bapa (Moluccas).

Distribution

The south-western Moluccas.

Uses

S. selanica is the most valuable red meranti construction timber of the Moluccas. The trunk copiously exudes a dammar which is used locally for torches and caulking boats.

Observations

• A large tree up to 50(-58) m tall, with bole branchless for 34-42 m and up to 100 cm in diameter, buttresses prominent.
• Leaves oblong-ovate, thinly leathery, (7-)9-18 cm × 3-7 cm, base unequal, with 19-23 pairs of secondary veins.
• Stamens 15, anthers broadly ellipsoid with long appendages, stylopodium indistinct.
• Larger fruit calyx lobes up to 10 cm × 1.5 cm.

S. selanica is often the dominant species in the lowland forest on well-drained soils in the south-western Moluccas up to 150 m altitude. The density of the wood is 440-530 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

258, 318, 744, 748.

Main genus page

• Shorea (red meranti)

Authors

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