Dipterocarpus is the third-largest and most diverse genus among the Dipterocarpaceae. The species are well known for timber, but less acknowledged for use in traditional herbal medicine.[1] The genus has about 70 species,[2] occurring in
South Asia and
Southeast Asia, from
Sri Lanka and
India to the
Philippines.[3] It is an important component of
dipterocarp forests. Its generic name comes from
Greek and means "two-winged fruits".
The greatest diversity of Dipterocarpus species occurs on
Borneo, with many
endemic to the island. The oldest fossil of the genus, and Dipterocarpaceae, is from the latest Cretaceous (
Maastrichtian)
Intertrappean Beds of India.[4]
Uses
The genus is of considerable importance as timber trees and for producing resinous oil. The oil is sold under the trade names gurjun oil, kanyin oil, wood oil, and
Keruing oil.[5]D. turbinatus, gurjan, is a major commercial timber species found in the
Andaman islands. Gurjan wood is very important for making plywood.
^Ashton, P. S. (2003), Kubitzki, Klaus; Bayer, Clemens (eds.),
"Dipterocarpaceae", Flowering Plants · Dicotyledons: Malvales, Capparales and Non-betalain Caryophyllales, The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 182–197,
doi:
10.1007/978-3-662-07255-4_20,
ISBN978-3-662-07255-4, retrieved 2021-07-02
Dipterocarpus is the third-largest and most diverse genus among the Dipterocarpaceae. The species are well known for timber, but less acknowledged for use in traditional herbal medicine.[1] The genus has about 70 species,[2] occurring in
South Asia and
Southeast Asia, from
Sri Lanka and
India to the
Philippines.[3] It is an important component of
dipterocarp forests. Its generic name comes from
Greek and means "two-winged fruits".
The greatest diversity of Dipterocarpus species occurs on
Borneo, with many
endemic to the island. The oldest fossil of the genus, and Dipterocarpaceae, is from the latest Cretaceous (
Maastrichtian)
Intertrappean Beds of India.[4]
Uses
The genus is of considerable importance as timber trees and for producing resinous oil. The oil is sold under the trade names gurjun oil, kanyin oil, wood oil, and
Keruing oil.[5]D. turbinatus, gurjan, is a major commercial timber species found in the
Andaman islands. Gurjan wood is very important for making plywood.
^Ashton, P. S. (2003), Kubitzki, Klaus; Bayer, Clemens (eds.),
"Dipterocarpaceae", Flowering Plants · Dicotyledons: Malvales, Capparales and Non-betalain Caryophyllales, The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 182–197,
doi:
10.1007/978-3-662-07255-4_20,
ISBN978-3-662-07255-4, retrieved 2021-07-02