Dipterocarpus

Dipterocarpus is a genus of flowering plants and the type genus of family Dipterocarpaceae.

Dipterocarpus
Temporal range: Maastrichtian–Recent
Dipterocarpus bourdillonii sapling from Peravoor
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Dipterocarpaceae
Subfamily: Dipterocarpoideae
Genus: Dipterocarpus
C.F.Gaertn.
Species

See text

Dipterocarpus is the third-largest and most diverse genus among the Dipterocarpaceae. The species are well known for timber, but less acknowledged for use in traditional herbal medicine.[1] The genus has about 70 species,[2] occurring in Southeast Asia. It is an important component of dipterocarp forests. Its generic name comes from Greek and means "two-winged fruits".

The greatest diversity of Dipterocarpus species occurs on Borneo, with many endemic to the island. The oldest fossil of the genus, and Dipterocarpaceae, is from the latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Intertrappean Beds of India.[3]

Uses
Garden decking is made from reclaimed Keruing floorboards.

The genus is of considerable importance as timber trees, sold under the trade name Keruing, although not as important as Shorea species. D. turbinatus, gurjan, is a major commercial timber species found in the Andaman islands. Gurjan wood is very important for making plywood.

Selected species

Species include:[2]

References
  1. Christophe Wiart (2006). Medicinal Plants of the Asia-Pacific: Drugs for the Future?. World Scientific.
  2. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
  3. Khan, Mahasin Ali; Spicer, Robert A.; Spicer, Teresa E. V.; Roy, Kaustav; Hazra, Manoshi; Hazra, Taposhi; Mahato, Sumana; Kumar, Sanchita; Bera, Subir (2020-11-03). "Dipterocarpus (Dipterocarpaceae) leaves from the K-Pg of India: a Cretaceous Gondwana presence of the Dipterocarpaceae". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 306 (6): 90. doi:10.1007/s00606-020-01718-z. ISSN 1615-6110.


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