Dipterocarpaceae is a family of trees found in Southeast Asia and some parts of Africa. One of the interesting stories about Dipterocarpaceae is their production of dammar resin, which is used in a variety of applications such as varnishes, paints, and inks. The resin is produced by the tree when it is wounded or damaged, and it helps to protect the tree from further injury and infections. In some cultures, the resin is also used in traditional medicine. Interestingly, the hardness of the resin increases with age, and some specimens have been found to be over 1000 years old.
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Short Description
Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. Their distribution is pantropical, from northern South America to Africa, the Seychelles, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. The greatest diversity of Dipterocarpaceae occurs in Borneo.
The largest genera are Shorea (196 species), Hopea (104 species), Dipterocarpus (70 species), and Vatica (65 species). Many are large forest-emergent species, typically reaching heights of 40–70 m, some even over 80 m (in the genera Dryobalanops, Hopea and Shorea), with the tallest known living specimen (Shorea faguetiana) 93.0 m tall. Name Menara, or tower in Malaysian, this specimen is a yellow meranti tree. It grows in Danum Valley in Sabah.
The species of this family are of major importance in the timber trade. Some species are now endangered as a result of overcutting, extensive illegal logging, and habitat conversion. They provide valuable woods, aromatic essential oils, balsam, and resins, and are a source for plywood.
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