Vatica teysmanniana (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Vatica teysmanniana Burck

Protologue: Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg 6: 230 (1887).

Synonyms

• Sunaptea teysmannii Heim (1892).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: resak ayer, resak paya (Sumatra), resak badouw (Bangka).

Distribution

Eastern Sumatra, Bangka.

Uses

The timber is used as resak, particularly for house and bridge building.

Observations

• A medium-sized to large tree, up to 45 m tall with straight, cylindrical bole (often slightly bent in upper part) branchless for up to 30 m and up to 60 cm in diameter and low buttresses.
• Leaves narrowly elliptical to lanceolate, 9.5-34 cm × 3-11 cm, with 13-17 pairs of secondary veins, glabrescent, petiole 13-25 mm long.
• Inflorescences lax and spreading, up to 15 cm long.
• Flower buds up to 12 mm long.
• Nut globose, up to 6 mm long, surrounded by 2 longer and 3 shorter fruit calyx lobes, fused into a cup at base and adnate to the nut.

V. teysmanniana grows in mixed swamp forest. It is locally favoured for its timber, as the boles reach large dimensions and the wood is of good quality, with a density of about 950 kg/m³ at 15% moisture content.

Selected sources

318, 748.

Main genus page

• Vatica

Authors

• R.H.M.J. Lemmens (selection of species)