54 
Dbterocarps of sufficient age to determine their growth here, and 
e V en in th/case of Sal {Shorea robusta ) cultivated m Assam there 
seems to be some doubt as to the actual rate of growth of the turn 
ber It appears however, that in this tree a girth of 54 inches 
represents^ growth of 65 years, and 72 inches represents 95 years 
(Gamble’s Manual of Indian Timbers). Judging by the growth of 
young Shorea leprosula this appears to be about the grow 1 o 
own species. , , f 
Nearly all of the Dipterocarps produce a timber of some value, but 
they vary a good deal in importance. The timbers known as Serayah 
and Meranti are rather soft red timbers much used for P 1 1 an .^ ing 
and furniture. They all belong to the genus Shorea of which there 
are a number of species. The Serayahs have different names 
partly given to designate special forms of timber and partly re er- 
ring to distinct trees, but the names are often irregular y used. 
Thus Serayah Batu is a harder and heavier wood than the other 
kinds. The name properly appears to belong to Shorea leprosula , 
but is in trade applied to many apparently distinct woods ol a 
rather better quality than what is known as ordinary Serayah. 
Meranti is equally irregularly used, and in trade at least appears 
to be absolutely synonymous with the name Serayah. Chingal 
(not to be confounded with Chengai) is also Serayah. 
The trees appear to be liable to the attacks of a fungus which 
destroys the heart, and renders it worthless. This generally begins 
from a wound on the trunk and the mycelium entering at this 
point growls upwards and downwards. The remains of the centre 
eventually is found to be in the form of a honeycomb like 
structure. 
Dipterocarpus. 
A genus of about sixty species occurring all over the Malay 
region, of which there are about thirteen here. They all consist of 
trees usually of very great size, with moderate to large leaves, 
fairly large flowers, usually red or cream colored, and sweetly 
scented. The fruit is globose or oblong, either quite smooth or 
furnished with five ridges or wings, and bearing on the top two 
very large oblong linear wings. The fruit which is usually red is 
much larger than that of the Serayas, (Shorea) and is distinguished 
by the wings arising from the top of the fruit and not being partly 
free from it. The wings of the fruit in all these plants are the 
developed sepals, and in Shorea these are so far free from the fruit 
itself that the top of the fruit can be seen projecting between them, 
whereas in Dipterocarpus the wings appear to stand on the top 
of the fruit, the tube of the calyx being adnate to it. 
Some of the Dipterocarpi here flower almost annually, others 
only once in five or six years ; but they are more often to be met 
with in flower than the Shoreas. 
As a rule, the timber of the Dipterocarpi is not considered of 
much value, being inferior in most cases to Shorea timber. They 
produce however the wood-oils and have always had an economic 
value for this. 
