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Depterocarps

Dipterocarp Tree

Dipterocarpaceae

Description:
There are about 500 species of Dipterocarps in the world, of which more than 60 species/sub­ species can be found in Thailand. The name Dipterocarp means ‘fruit with two wings’, which, due to these two ‘wings’, are capable of gliding/spiraling away from the parent tree. Dipterocarps are tall straight trees (sometimes buttressed) with no branches on the trunk up until the canopy level. They can grow between 40 and 70 meters in height with trunk diameters in excess of 2 meters. Some species are considered critically endangered on the IUCN Red list, since they are popular trees in the logging industry for wood, oils, resins, and balsam. Global climate change and loss of habitat are also factors contributing to declining populations. Gibbons and giant tree squirrels often feed on the fruit from these trees.

Did you know...?

…that Dipterocarp saplings emit a sweet sugar­like liquid attracting certain species of ant that defend the saplings from being eaten by other insects?

Habitat:
Most of Thai Dipterocarps have a limited altitudinal range between 400 and 1,000 m. They are found mainly in tropical lowland rainforests.

Lifecycle:
Dipterocarp trees reproduce with the aid of insects pollinating their flowers, and can grow for as long as 50­60 years before their first flowers appear. Flowering usually occurs between December and March. However this is not always a yearly event, happening sometimes only every 8 to 9 years.

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