Common Name:

General Information

Shorea ovata is a tree with a hemispherical to cauliflower-shaped crown comprised of many radiating branches; it can grow up to 50 metres tall but is usually smaller. The straight, cylindrical bole can be up to 140cm in diameter with short, stout buttresses up to 100cm high[].
The tree is a source of timber know as 'dark red meranti'. It is harvested from the wild for commercial use[].
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, Philippines.

Habitat

A canopy or emergent tree in mixed dipterocarp forest on yellow sandy soil in lowland areas; also in the ecotone to kerangas and in upper dipterocarp forest; at elevations up to 1,000 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Endangered
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	35.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is often found in the wild in Kerangas forest - a type of moist, heath forest found on acidic, sandy soils that are low in nutrients, especially nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The tree is a source of ‘dark red meranti' timber[]. We do not have a specific description for the wood of this species, but a general description of dark red meranti is as follows:-
The heartwood is dark pink-brown to a dark-red, weathering to a dark red-brown; it is clearly demarcated from the sapwood, which is yellowish with a grey tinge. The texture is coarse and even; the grain is interlocked and sometimes wavy; white-coloured resin canals may be seen on the surface; planed surfaces are lustrous witha prominent stripe figure. The wood is not durable when exposed to the elements. It is easy to saw, plane, turn, bore and peel; it produces a smooth planed surface. An extremely popular general utility timber, it is suitable for furniture, high class interior finishing, flooring, panelling and partitioning, mouldings and skirtings, fancy doors, sliced and rotary cut veneers[].

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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