Common Name:

General Information

Dipterocarpus turbinatus is a deciduous tree, usually growing 35 - 50 metres tall, but with reports of specimens up to 60 metres. The straight, cylindrical bole can be up to 150cm in diameter and free of branches for two thirds of the tree's height[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild mainly for the oleo-resin in its trunk. This is used locally and also exported. The tree also yields a timber of low quality, though this is used on a large scale in the manufacture of plywood[].
The tree is suffering badly from habitat loss. It has been classified as 'Critically Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam.

Habitat

A canopy or emergent tree in mixed deciduous, evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, usually below 700 metres[, , ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Critically Endangered
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	50.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 24 - 32°c, though it can tolerate 10 - 40°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 2,500 - 3,500mm, tolerating 1,500 - 5,100mm[].
Young trees grow best in the shade of the forest, but become increasingly light-demanding as they grow larger[]. Prefers a medium to light, well-drained soil[]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.8 - 5.8, tolerating 4.3 - 6.5[]. The tree has proven relatively windfirm in tropical cyclone zones[].
Members of this genus generally only regenerate naturally in the shade of the forest. Seedlings and saplings can persist in dense forest shade for many years. In their first 2 years the young plants cannot tolerate major openings in the canopy, but after they are well established (about 120cm tall) the canopy can be opened up around them to speed up their growth[].
Trees are not resistant to forest fires[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A resin obtained from the tree is used in the treatment of ulcers, ring worms and other skin infections. It is a stimulant to mucous surfaces and is also a diuretic[]..

Other Uses

An oleo-resin is obtained from the trunk[]. It is used locally for making torches; caulking boats (mixed with other ingredients); as a varnish and sometimes medicinally[]. Industrially, it is used in making paints for houses and ships, lithographic ink and an anti-corrosive coating composition for iron[, ]. The oil is obtained by cutting a hole in the trunk near the base (about 90 - 150cm from the ground) and then dipping out the resin with a spoon as it collects there. To prolong the flow, a fire made from dead leaves or brushwood is made in the hole at intervals - this burns off the dried resinous film and allows the resin to flow again[, ].

The heartwood is red-brown; the sapwood white. The wood is soft to moderately hard, but it is very liable to be eaten by termites[]. It is not much in demand as a timber, but is used in construction, making boxes etc[, ]. The wood is exploited on a large scale for the production of plywood[]. The trunk is traditionally used for making dug-out canoes[].
The wod is used for fuel and to make charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed -

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