Gonystylus bancanus (PROSEA)
Introduction |
Gonystylus bancanus (Miq.) Kurz
- Protologue: Natuurk. Tijdsch. Ned. Ind. 27: 171, 240 (1864).
Vernacular names
- Brunei: ramin
- Indonesia: ramin (general), gaharu buaya (Sumatra, Kalimantan), merang (Kalimantan)
- Malaysia: ramin melawis, melawis, ramin telur (Peninsular), garu buaja (Sarawak).
Distribution
South-western Peninsular Malaysia, south-eastern Sumatra, Bangka and Borneo.
Uses
G. bancanus is the most important source of ramin timber. The wood is suitable for general light construction, and numerous uses where a clean, whitish timber is desired. The heartwood is used for incense.
Observations
- A medium-sized to fairly large tree of up to 40(-45) m tall, bole cylindrical, up to 120 cm in diameter but usually less, sometimes slightly fluted at the base, with many knee-roots (pneumatophores), bark surface often cracked and fissured, greyish to red-brown, inner bark fibrous, orange-brown to red-brown, sapwood pale cream or white.
- Leaves elliptical, shortly oblong-oblanceolate or obovate, (4-)5-8(-14.5) cm × (2-)3-5(-7) cm, often conduplicate, broadly cuneate to rounded at base, suddenly narrowed into an acuminate-cuspidate apex, quite glabrous, petiole 8-18 mm long.
- Inflorescence up to 9 cm long, minutely adpressed ochraceo-puberulous; petals 13-20, narrowly lanceolate, glabrous.
- Fruit subglobose, up to 4 cm in diameter.
G. bancanus occurs gregariously in lowland freshwater swamp or peat-swamp forests outside the influence of tidal waters but often in broad belts along the coast. It occurs up to 100 m altitude and is occasionally found in pure stands (e.g. Sarawak). The density of the wood is (460-)540-750(-840) kg/m3 at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.
Selected sources
10, 14, 15, 89, 93, 100, 102, 146, 318, 323, 340, 406, 435, 456, 457, 461, 578, 620, 635, 639, 691, 748, 779, 785, 786, 807.
Main genus page
Authors
- L.E. Groen (selection of species)