Shorea leprosula
Shorea leprosula
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A plant of moist to wet lowland tropical areas, where it is found at elevations up to 700 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 1,500 - 3,500mm per year and there is a short dry period which is conducive for its growth and regeneration[1]. Found growing in the wild on alluvial and dry sites (hillsides and ridges) on clayey to sandy soils, also on limestone[2, 3]. It can grow on a variety of soils but does not tolerate waterlogged sites, especially peat soils[1]. The plant is seldom found on ridges, and plantation trials have shown that it grows better in the foothills than on ridge tops[1]. This is the fastest growing species of red meranti up to the twentieth year, but is later surpassed by other species[1]. The seeds take about 14 weeks to mature from flowering[1]. If a dry spell occurs during this period, fruit fall is delayed and the fruits are not well developed[1].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as possible. It does not require pre-treatment, but it is recommended to soak the seed for 12 hours prior to sowing[1]. The seeds are sown in seedbeds, where they are covered with a mixture of sand and soil (1:1) or with a thin layer of sawdust[1]. Germination of fresh seeds is usually good and rapid. About two weeks after germination, when the seedlings are 5 - 6cm tall, they are potted up into individual containers about 15 x 23cm with good drainage holes at their base[1]. It is normally recommended to use a mixture of forest soil and sand (at a ratio of 3:1) as the potting medium in order to introduce the appropriate mycorrhiza to the roots. The seedlings are placed in 50 - 60% sunlight and watered twice daily[1]. Seedlings can be planted out when 30 - 40cm tall - harden the seedlings off in full sunlight for one month prior to planting[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Shorea+leprosula>
Pollinators
Thrips
References
- [1]Seed Leaflets — Various · Forest & Landscape. Denmark · http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title ↩︎A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant.
- [2]Trees of Sungai Wain — http://www.nationaalherbarium.nl/Sungaiwain/ ↩︎An excellent site with factsheets on almost 1,000 species of forest trees growing at Sungai Wain in Indonesia. Each factsheet has good quality pictures plus basic information on the ecology and uses of the plants.
- [3]Plants of Southeast Asia — http://www.asianplant.net/ ↩︎Excellent site with brief information on the plant, its range, habitat and uses, plus phots of specimens, close-ops of flowers and leaves etc,
- [4]Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak Vols 1 - 6 — Soepadmo E.; Saw L.G.; Chung R.C.K. (Editors) · Forest Research Institute Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur. · 2002 · ISBN 983-2181-27-5 ↩︎A flora of the woody plants of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo, often giving details of plant uses.
- [5]Timber Notes - Light Hardwoods 1 — Choo K.T.; Gan K.S.; Lim S.C. · Timber Technology Centre; Kuala Lumpur · 1998 · https://info.frim.gov.my/infocenter/booksonline/ttb/TTBno9.pdf · ISBN 139-258 ↩︎An excellent series of leaflets, this one gives information on the wood of several species in the genus Shorea. It can be downloaded as a PDF document from the Internet.
- [6]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
- [7]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
- [8]Gums, Resins and Latexes of Plant Origins. — Coppen J.J.W. · FAO, United Nations; Rome · 1995 · http://www.fao.org/docrep/ · ISBN 92-5-103757-4 ↩︎A handbook published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, it provides good basic information on the sources and uses of the various gums, resins and latexes. It can be downloaded from the Internet.