This species contains a number of subspecies.

Common Name:

General Information

Shorea assamica is a tall deciduous tree growing up to 55 metres tall. The bole can be up to 150cm in diameter and has prominent buttresses[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is known as 'white meranti' and is commonly traded. A major source of timber within its native range, the tree also used to be widely exploited for the resin it yields[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

Often gregarious, on fertile soil in primary semi-evergreen forest on hills in lowlands[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	40.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of low areas in the moist to wet tropics, where it is found at elevations between 150 - 1,000 metres[]. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature falls between the range 22 - 28°c, though it can tolerate 10 - 32°c[]. It can be killed by temperatures of 4°c or lower[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 2,800 - 3,500mm, but tolerates 2,000 - 4,000mm[].
Older plants require a sunny position though they can tolerate shade in their early stages[]. Prefers a fertile, acid, medium to heavy soil[]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 5, tolerating 4 - 5.5[].

The trees do not withstand fire[].
It can be found in flat land as well as undulating and hilly ground.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A resin is obtained from the tree, known as 'Dammar Tenang'[]. It is formed as a result of a pathological condition of the tree[].
Dammar is a hard resin, obtained from various trees of Southeast Asia. Traditionally, it is used for purposes such as caulking boats and baskets, as an adhesive, a medicine, as a fuel for torches and sometimes in foods. Dammar has many commercial applications, though many of these uses are less important nowadays due to the advent of synthetic materials. Commercially, it is an ingredient of inks, lacquers, oil paints, varnishes etc, and is used as a glazing agent in foods[].
Harvesting of the resin commences when the bole is around 25cm in diameter (approx 20 years old). Triangular cuts (becoming circular with age) are arranged in vertical rows around the trunk. The cuts are several centimetres wide at first, but become enlarged at every tapping and eventually become holes of 15 - 20cm in depth and width. The average number of holes for a tree about 30 metres tall and 60 - 80cm in diameter is 9 - 11 in each of 4 - 5 vertical rows. For the higher holes, the tapper climbs the tree supported by a rattan belt and using the lower holes as footholds.
The exuded resin is allowed to dry on the tree before it is collected. The frequency with which the tree is visited to refreshen the cut varies from once a week to once a month, depending on how far the tree is from the village. Tapping can continue for 30 years[].

The heartwood is creamy white, becoming yellow-brown with age; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked with a ribbon-like aspect on quartersawn wood. The wood is of medium weight, moderately hard, moderately durable, being susceptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. The drying rate is normal to rapid with a slight risk of distortion; once dry it is stable in service. The wood has a high silica content and is hard to work, requiring stellite-tipped and tungsten-carbide tools; there is a tendency to woolliness, and filling is required to obtain a good finish; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct[]. The wood is used for purposes such as light constructions, plywood and veneer, as door and window frames, and for posts, beams, joists, rafters, planking, light flooring, ceiling, furniture, boat building etc[]. It can also be used for paper pulp[].

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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