AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



STRAITS 



AND 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



No. 3.] MARCH, 1905. [Vol. IV. 



KUMUS (SHOREA CILIA TA). 



The timber of the tree commonly known to the Malays as 

 Kumus has been known for many years as a valuable wood, but 

 for a long time I was unable to identify it as I could never 

 procure specimens of the leaves, flowers, and fruits by which it could 

 be settled as to what the tree really was. Mr. MOORHOUSE, how- 

 ever, recently sent me specimens of the wood, leaves, and fruit, to- 

 gether with notes concerning the tree which proves to be Diptero- 

 carpous, vtz., Shorea ciliata, King. Mr. MOORHOUSE writes of it 

 as follows : — 



"A large tree with small buttresses about 6 feet high, bark red- 

 dish brown, slightly flaky, quarter of an inch thick, average girth of 

 ten selected trees, 22 feet. Thi^ is not an uncommon size for mature 

 trees. Height to first branch of tree 80 feet, height of whole tree 

 150 to 180 feet. The tree exudes a yellowish white damar which is 

 largely collected and mixed with Penak damar, but is very inferior. 

 It is valued at forty dollars a ton. The tree has no sapwood, the 

 timber being hard all through. It has been largely used this year 

 for railway sleepers on the Seremban to Singapore Railway and is 

 most probably used as Chengai or Penak in other States. Malays 

 say it is as good as Penak for houses and they only use Penak in 

 preference, because Penak turns a deep red brown with time and 

 exposure; whereas Kumus turns greyish white and is not so hand- 

 some. It is an excellent timber and very plentiful in Kwala Pilah 

 District, Negri Sembilan. Charcoal burners have exterminated it 

 in Seremban, but this business has now been stopped. It makes a 

 first class charcoal. " 



The specimen of wood sent by Mr. MOORHOUSE is of a light 

 reddish brown colour, fairly heavv, fibres slightly sinuous, the vess< ts 

 in section conspicuous, and silvery inside with the dammar exuda- 

 tion; rings very irregular in distance and not very conspicuous; 

 medullary rays very tine and close, vessels in transverse section 

 crowded and numerous, pores small in short rows or solitary, irregu- 

 larly arranged ; weight of a cubic foot, 68 lbs., wood very hard. 



A section of a young tiee, 6 inches through, sent many years ago 



