Common Name:

General Information

Shorea zeylanica is a large, evergreen tree. The bole is straight and cylindrical[, ].
It is harvested from the wild for its timber and a resin that exudes from the trunk[].
Habitat destruction, as forests have been cut down to make way for tea plantations, has greatly reduced the range of this tree[]. It has become an extremely rare tree in the wild, it was not discovered during extensive botanical surveys carried out in the 1990's in Sri Lanka, suggesting that it may have become extinct[]. It has been classified as 'Critically endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2009)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Sri Lanka.

Habitat

Wet evergreen forest, becoming an emergent at higher elevations[]. A characteristic tree of lower hill forests, found at elevations up to 1,200 metres[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

A plant of lowland areas in the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,200 metres[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

An excellent, colourless, dammar-like resin exudes from the trunk[]. The tree yields a large quantity of colourless gum-resin, which, when dissolved in spirits of wine or turpentine, makes an excellent varnish[].
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 brown wood is light, moderately hard, easy to split and durable[, ]. Greatly in demand for making shingles, it is also used for house building, flooring, boards and joists[, , ].
The wood burns really well with a bright flame[].

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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