Commercial timbers

H. G. Richter and M. J. Dallwitz


Shorea leprosula Miq. (Meranti tembaga, tembaga)

Nomenclature etc. DIPTEROCARPACEAE. Shorea acuminata Dyer, S. dasyphylla Foxw., S. johorensis AUTOR, S. lepidota (Korth.) Bl., S. macroptera Dyer und S. parvifolia Dyer, Shorea spp. Trade and local names: meranti tembaga, tembaga, light red meranti (MAL), meranti merah (RI).

Tree. Geographic distribution: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indomalesia.

General. Heartwood basically brown to red. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Basic specific gravity 0.3–0.55 g/cm³.

Vessels. Wood diffuse-porous. Vessels in multiples, commonly short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 155–245–350 µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 4–6–8. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 5–9 µm, vestured and not vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders or with reduced borders or apparently simple, similar to intervessel pits, rounded or angular or horizontal to vertical, of the same type in adjacent elements or unilaterally compound and coarse. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses in vessels present, thinwalled.

Tracheids and fibres. Vascular or vasicentric tracheids commonly present. Fibres very thin-walled, or of medium wall thickness. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres non-septate.

Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded (axial resin canals embedded in parenchyma bands). Axial parenchyma rarely apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, aliform, and unilateral paratracheal. Aliform parenchyma lozenge, or winged. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per axial parenchyma strand 4.

Rays. Rays 4–8 per tangential mm, multiseriate, also if only few, 2–6 cells wide. Height of large rays commonly 500 to 1000 µm, or commonly over 1000 µm. Rays composed of two or more cell types. Heterocellular rays square and upright cells restricted to marginal rows. Number of marginal rows of upright or square cells 1, or 2–4, or more than 4. Sheath cells absent.

Storied structures. Storied structure present, axial parenchyma storied.

Secretory structures. Intercellular canals present (resin canals), axial type and radial type, in long tangential lines and in short tangential lines. Diameter of radial resin canals up to 100 µm.

Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells not chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Crystal containing cells of normal size and enlarged (idioblasts). Silica not observed.


Cite this publication as: H. G. Richter and M. J. Dallwitz (2000 onwards). 'Commercial timbers: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval.' In English, French, German, and Spanish. Version: 4th May 2000. http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/.

Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993 onwards, 1995 onwards, 1998) should also be cited (see General references).

Index