INDO-MALAYAN WOODS. 
511 
yellowish-white, soft and light. Pores arranged in a fairly regular reticu- 
late pattern, and resin-ducts almost entirely absent. . Easily worked; 
used for planks, etc. 
PALOS APIS OR MAY APIS. Plate XXVIII, fig. 74. 
This is produced by species of Anisoptera in the Philippines. It 
seems to be the same as the mersawa of the Federated Malay States 
and the mirauan of Sarawak. Wood yellowish- white ; pith-rays of two 
sorts, moderately broad and fine. Pores of medium size. Resin- ducts 
rather distinct. Wood of young trees coarse-grained and brittle, rather 
difficult to work. Wood from well-grown trees is of very good quality 
and seems to be fairly durable. Used for planks, crossbeams, etc. 
Gard. 66; Phil. Woods 389. 
WHITE LAUAX. Plate XXVIII, fig. 75. 
This is produced in the Philippines by Parasliorea plicata Brandis and 
Pentacme contorta (Vid.) Merr. & Rolfe. It occurs in British North 
Borneo under the name of gagil and urat mata and in the Straits Set- 
tlements as a poor grade of seriah. It is possible that some , species of 
Shorea and Hopea also produce wood which is sold under this name. 
Wood grayish- white or brownish-gray; soft and light, not durable. Pith- 
rays of two kinds, moderately broad and fine. Resin-ducts numerous, 
often forming incomplete concentric lines, falsely resembling seasonal 
rings. Wood used for various forms of light or temporary construction. 
Phil. Woods 386; Gard. 52. 
ALMON. 
This is a good grade of lauan, with a pinkish or reddish color. It is 
often exactly the equivalent of some grades of meranti and seriah. It is 
probably produced by different species of Shorea and possibly also Hopea. 
It is a very good wood for light construction and interior finish. The 
structure of this wood is very much the same as that of tanguile, but 
it is usually much softer and lighter in color than that wood. In some 
parts of Luzon this wood is known as mayapis. 
The soft red-wooded dipterocarps are very common, but they are 
not yet very clearly understood. Tanguile, red lauan and almon are 
frequently confused. The best qualities of tanguile are conspicuously 
darker in color and harder than the other two woods, and red lauan is 
usually distinctly coarser guained than either almon or tanguile, but there 
are numerous intermediate grades of these woods which may belong to any 
one of the three. 
In spite of our present fragmentary knowledge of the group, it has 
seemed entirely feasible to prepare the following key to the commercial 
dipterocarps. 
