Shorea siamensis (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Shorea siamensis Miq.

Protologue: Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 1: 214 (1864).

Synonyms

• Pentacme suavis A.DC. (1868),
• Pentacme siamensis (Miq.) Kurz (1870),
• Pentacme malayana King (1893).

Vernacular names

• Malaysia: meranti temak, temak batu (Peninsular)
• Burma: eng-yin
• Cambodia: phchök rèang', rèang' phnum"
• Laos: h'ang, ph'au
• Thailand: rang, rang khao (general), lak pao (northern)
• Vietnam: cà chắc xanh, cẩm liên.

Distribution

Throughout Indo-China towards peninsular Thailand and north-western Peninsular Malaysia.

Uses

The timber is used as balau. The bark and wood contain respectively 9% and 6% tannin, which is too little to be of importance.

Observations

• A medium-sized deciduous tree 20-25 m tall with bole up to 60 cm in diameter, buttressed, bark V-fissured.
• Leaves broadly ovate-oblong, papery, 9-12 cm × 6-13 cm, with a deeply cordate to cuneate base.
• Petals broadly elliptical, stamens 15, glabrous, with linear anthers.
• Fruit calyx lobes unequal, larger three up to 12 cm × 1.3 cm.

S. siamensis occurs in dry dipterocarp forest overlying poor and rocky or limestone soils from sea-level to over 1000 m altitude. The density of the wood is 700-1090 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

102, 258, 628, 677, 748.

Main genus page

• Shorea (balau)

Authors

• M.S.M. Sosef (selection of species)