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Dipterocarpus cornutus Dyer
Family Name: | Dipterocarpaceae |
Common Name: | Keruing Gombang, Keruing Pekat, Keruing Marah Keluang Akas, Keruing Gajah |
Dipterocarpus cornutus, also known as Keruing Gombang is a critically endangered tree in Singapore. It has large plicate leaves which are pale yellow with minute hairs on the underside. It produces Keruing timber as well as wood-oil which is used as a varnish for caulking boats and illumination purposes.
Name
Classifications and Characteristics
Plant Division | Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) |
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Plant Growth Form | Tree |
Lifespan (in Singapore) | Perennial |
Mode of Nutrition | Autotrophic |
Plant Shape | Irregular |
Maximum Height | 65 m |
Biogeography
Native Distribution | Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo |
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Native Habitat | Terrestrial |
Preferred Climate Zone | Tropical |
Local Conservation Status | Native to Singapore (Critically Endangered (CR)) |
Description and Ethnobotany
Growth Form | It is a large tree with pale coloured bark, possibly up to 65 m tall. |
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Foliage | The leaves are large and broadly elliptic to oblong-ovate (15 – 30 cm long and 7.5 – 18 cm wide). They are leathery with parallel folds (plicate). The upper surface of the leaf is green while the underside is pale yellow or cream with minute hairs. Each leaf has 18 – 21 pairs of lateral veins which are prominent on the underside. The leaf base is obtuse while leaf tip is obtuse or slightly notched (subretuse). The leaf stalk is stout (5 – 8.5 cm long) and the stipule is strap-shaped (20 cm long and 4 cm wide), often bright red coloured with tufted hairs. |
Flowers | Flowers occur in an unbranched cluster at the axillary position. Each inflorescence is up to 28 cm long and comprises of up to 10 flowers. The flower bud can reach up to 3.5 cm long and 1 cm wide. |
Fruit | The fruit is woody and winged. Each fruit has 2 longer calyx lobes (about 21 cm long and 5 cm wide) and 3 shorter lobes (about 15 mm long). The calyx tube is almost round (about 2.5 – 3.7 cm long), and warty with large round tubercles. |
Habitat | It is found in rainforest up to 1000 m altitude. |
Associated Fauna | Flowers are pollinated by insects. |
Cultivation | It can be propagated by seed. |
Etymology | Genus Dipterocarpus is from Greek words "dipteros" which means "two-winged" and "karpos" which means "fruit" and they refer to the character of the fruit. The specific epithet cornutus, in Latin, means 'horn-shaped’. |
Ethnobotanical Uses | Timber & Products: In Malaysia, the timber is used as keruing for medium to heavy construction. The wood is also used to make charcoal. Others: The trunk is tapped to harvest a wood-oil which is used as a varnish for caulking boats and illumination purposes. |
Landscaping Features
Landscape Uses | Reforestation |
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Fauna, Pollination and Dispersal
Pollination Method(s) | Biotic (Fauna) |
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Seed or Spore Dispersal | Abiotic |
Plant Care and Propagation
Light Preference | Full Sun |
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Water Preference | Moderate Water |
Plant Growth Rate | Moderate to Slow |
Rootzone Tolerance | Well-Drained Soils |
Foliar
Foliage Retention | Evergreen |
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Mature Foliage Colour(s) | Green |
Mature Foliage Texture(s) | Leathery |
Foliar Type | Simple / Unifoliate |
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem | Alternate |
Foliar Attachment to Stem | Petiolate |
Foliar Shape(s) | |
Foliar Venation | Pinnate / Net |
Foliar Margin | Entire |
Foliar Apex - Tip | Obtuse, Retuse |
Foliar Base | Rounded / Obtuse |
Non - Foliar and Storage
Trunk Type (Non Palm) | Woody |
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Stem Type & Modification | Woody |
Root Type | Underground |
Floral (Angiosperm)
Flower & Plant Sexuality | Bisexual Flowers |
Flower Grouping | Cluster / Inflorescence |
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Flower Location | Axillary |
Flowering Period | Every Few Years |
Flowering Habit | Polycarpic |
Fruit, Seed and Spore
Mature Fruit Colour(s) | Brown |
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Mature Fruit Texture(s) | Bumpy / Tuberculate, Leathery |
Fruit Classification | Simple Fruit |
Fruit Type | |
Seed Quantity Per Fruit | Few (1-5) |
References
References | Ashton, P.S. (1982). Dipterocarpaceae. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (ed.) Flora Malesiana, ser.1,vol. 9, part 2, pp. 237–552, 575–600. The Hague/Boston/London: Martinus Nijhoff/Dr. W. Junk Publishers. Soerianegara, I., & Lemmens, R.H.M.J. (Editors). 1993. Plant Resources of South-East Asia Volume 5 (1). Timber Trees: Major Commercial Timbers. Netherlands: Pudoc Scientific Publishers. 610 pages. Symington, C.F., Ashton, P.S. & Appanah, S. (2004). In: Barlow, H.S. (ed.) Foresters’ Manual of Dipterocarps. Malayan Forest Records, no. 16, 2nd ed. Kuala Lumpur: Forest Research Institute Malaysia/Malaysian Nature Society |
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Image Repository
Others
Master ID | 29067 |
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Species ID | 3384 |
Flora Disclaimer | The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes. |