 Gen info
- The Dipterocarpaceae is the only timber-producing taxon in the angiosperm, and it is the most important source of timber in Southeast Asia.
- Shorea is a genus of about 106 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae
. The genus is named after Sir John Shore, the governr-general of the Bristish East India Company, 1793-
1798.
- The timber of the
trees of the genus shorea is sold under the common names lauan, luan, lawaan, maranti, saraya, balau, bangkirai, and Philippine mahogany. ("Philippine mahogany" sold in North America is not a true mahogany, but a mixture of woods from the genus shorea.)
- Shorea spp. are native to Southeast Asia, from northern India to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
- Illegaly logging and exploitation for construction and furniture making has led to its diminution of Shorea contorta and classification as critically endangered.
 Botany
Shorea contorta is a large tree, 50 m high and 182 cm in diameter. Crown is flat, irregular, and open. Leaves are simple, alternate, ovate, smooth, acuminate at the apex, rounded at the base. Secondary nerves are pairs of six, prominent and further apart. Leaf blade is 10 to 14 .5 cm long. Inflorescence is paniculate, 22 cm long if terminal, 14 cm long if axillary, singly or doubly branched, branchlet is 4 cm long. Flowers are 7 mm long and 4 mm wide, ovoid, lanceolate; the sepals ovoid, obtuse, the outer three somewhat larger; petals are broadly oblong, elliptic, acute; stamens are 15, subequal; the anther cells are linear and as long as the stout appendages; style is columnar, about thrice the length of the ovary. Fruit (nut) is enclosed by two long wings (up to 13 cm), one medium sized wing (8) cm and two small wings (about 4 cm). Healthy mature seed is elongated, 3-4 cm long. Wings at the base are contorted (contorta) around the nut. (1)
Distribution
- Endemic throughout the Philippines
- Widely distributed in most provinces and islands from Babuyan to Mindanao.
- IUCN listed as "Critically Endangered."
Constituents
- Study of dichlormethane extract of twigs of Shorea contorta a mixture of lup-20(29)-en-3-one (1), olean-12-en-3-one (2), and urs-12-en-3-one (3), while leaves yielded lutein (4), chlorophyll-a (5), and ß-sitosterol (6). (2)
- Dichlormethane extract of air-dried stems
yielded a mixture of olean-12-en-3-one (1), urs-12-en-3-one (2) and lup-20(29)-en-3-one (3) in a 4:2:1 ratio, while leaves yielded y-sitosterol (4) and lutein (5). (5)
Parts used
Wood, bark, leaves..
Uses
Folkloric
- Decoction of bark used to treat cough.
- Wood decoction used to inhibit tumors.
- Decoction of bark and leaves used as antipyretic, tonic, and astringent.
- Root decoction used for treatment of diarrhea.
Others
- Wood: Heartwood is creamy white to pinkish white, becoming light brown with age.. Light in weight, soft, and moderately durable; susceptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. (8)
- Commercial Uses: Veneer for interior of plywood; fiber or particle boards, interior joinery, furniture or furniture components, glued laminates, sliced venner. Also used for making boxes, crates and molding. (7)
Studies
• Chemical Constituents / Twigs and Leaves: (see constituents above)
• Taxon Conflict / Elucidation by Leaf Morphometrics: While the taxonomy of several genera of Dipterocarpaceae is relatively well-defined
, the genus Shorea remains problematic and controversial. In the Philippines, there are about 45 species of dipterocarps distributed in 6 genera. While well-studied, the identities of individual species remain ambiguous. Pentacme mindanensis and Shorea contorta have been considered synonymous. Based on description, P. mindanensis resembles Shorea contorta but differs in large leaves and large fruits. Morphological and molecular studies have confirmed that they are two different species. In this study, besides the longstanding knowledge on differences in leaves and fruits size, there is also the color of the inner bark—creamy-yellow in P. mindanensis and white in S. contorta. Study sought to provide more striking differences via leaf morphometrics, which has proven effective in resolving taxonomic problems and discriminating species, (4)
Availability
Wild-crafted.
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