Common Name:

General Information

Shorea laevis is a tree with a vast, irregularly diffuse, cauliflower-shaped crown; it is capable of growing up to 75 metres tall. The stout, often twisted bole can be up to 240cm in diameter with stout, prominent buttresses up to 6 metres high and 4 metres outwards[, , ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for commercial use of its resin and timber.
The tree is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2010)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southeast Asia - Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

An emergent tree, mostly on hillsides and ridges, but also on alluvial sites, in undisturbed mixed dipterocarp forests at elevations up to 600 metres[, ]. When found in secondary forests, it is usually present as a pre-disturbance remnant tree[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	65.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of lowland areas in the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 600 metres[].
The plant is found in the wild on clay to sandy soils[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A yellow-white dammar is obtained in large quantities from the tree[]. It is used for candle making, soap manufacture and for illumination[].
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 yellow-brown to reddish-brown, more or less dark, with white resin canals; it is not clearly demarcated from the 2 - 8cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked. The wood is heavy, hard, very durable in the soil or in fresh and saline water, being resistant to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It is slow to season, with a slight risk of distortion and a high risk of checking; once dry it is moderately stable in service. It has a fairly high blunting effect upon tools, power-driven stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good but pre-drilling is recommended because of a tendency to split; gluing is correct. The wood has many uses - it is suitable for heavy construction and is recommended for use where there is contact with the soil or with fresh or saline water; it is also used for flooring, boxes and crates, heavy carpentry etc[, ].
The wood makes an excellent charcoal[].

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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