Common Name:

General Information

Shorea albida can range in size from a sub-canopy tree around 20 metres tall to an emergent tree up to 75 metres tall with a vast, diffuse canopy. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 50 - 250cm in diameter, the larger specimens with large buttresses up to 4 metres high and outwards[, ].
The tree is an important source of the timber 'Red Meranti' and is commonly harvested from the wild and traded internationally.
The peat-swamp forest habitats where this tree grows are seriously threatened. Regeneration is reported to be non-existent. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

A canopy or emergent tree, local on podsols on terraces and plateaux in Heath forests at elevations up to 1,200 metres. Gregarious and dominant on oligotrophic peat swamps except at the margin and sometimes the centre[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Endangered
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The largest trees, found towards the margins of the swamps, are all hollow and are very hard wooded; those towards the centre are too small and the wood is soft; it is the trees in the intermediate zone that are an important source of red meranti timber[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The heartwood is red-brown, sometimes with white streaks; it is clearly defined from the 4 - 6cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked. The wood is heavy, hard, moderately durable, being resistant to fungi and dry wood borers but susceptible to termites. The wood has a normal rate of drying with only a slight risk of checking but wih a high risk of distortion; once dry it is moderately to poorly stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect upon tools - stellite-tipped and tungsten-carbide tools are recommended; resin can clog and blunt tools; filling is recommended to ensure a good finish; gluing is correct; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring to avoid splitting. The wood has many uses including for industrial flooring, ship building (ribs), interior and exterior joinery and panelling, furniture[].

Propagation

We have no specific information for this species - the information below is a general guide for the genus.

Seed - best sown as soon as possible. It does not require pre-treatment, but it is recommended to soak the seed for 12 hours prior to sowing[]. The seeds are sown in seedbeds, where they are covered with a mixture of sand and soil (1:1) or with a thin layer of sawdust[]. Germination of fresh seeds is usually good and rapid. About two weeks after germination, when the seedlings are 5 - 6cm tall, they are potted up into individual containers about 15 x 23cm with good drainage holes at their base[]. It is normally recommended to use a mixture of forest soil and sand (at a ratio of 3:1) as the potting medium in order to introduce the appropriate mycorrhiza to the roots. The seedlings are placed in 50 - 60% sunlight and watered twice daily[].
Seedlings can be planted out when 30 - 40cm tall - harden the seedlings off in full sunlight for one month prior to planting[].

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