Intsia palembanica

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Intsia palembanica
Malacca Teak, William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings.jpg
Malacca teak watercolor, from the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Intsia
Species:
I. palembanica
Binomial name
Intsia palembanica
Miq., 1861 [2] [3]

Intsia palembanica is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. Common names include Borneo teak, Malacca teak, merbau and Moluccan ironwood. It is native to tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia and the islands of the southwest Pacific. [4] [5] Intsia palembanica differs from Intsia bijuga in the number of leaflets that make up the compound leaves. [6]

Contents

Conservation

Intsia palembanica has been assessed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List. It is mainly threatened by logging for its timber, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. The timber is sold locally and internationally. [1]

Symbolism

On 23 August 2019, the tree, locally known as pokok merbau, officially became the national tree of Malaysia. The then-Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, stated that it represented the strength and endurance of Malaysia's people. [5] [7]

Related Research Articles

Ironwood is a common name for many woods or plants that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is denser than water, although usage of the name ironwood in English may or may not indicate a tree that yields such heavy wood.

<i>Canarium</i> Genus of trees

Canarium is a genus of about 120 species of tropical and subtropical trees, in the family Burseraceae. They grow naturally across tropical Africa, south and southeast Asia, Indochina, Malesia, Australia and western Pacific Islands; including from southern Nigeria east to Madagascar, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and India; from Burma, Malaysia and Thailand through the Malay Peninsula and Vietnam to south China, Taiwan and the Philippines; through Borneo, Indonesia, Timor and New Guinea, through to the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Palau.

<i>Pterocarpus indicus</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus indicus is a species of Pterocarpus native to southeastern Asia, northern Australasia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands, in Cambodia, southernmost China, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

<i>Shorea</i> Genus of trees

Shorea is a genus of about 196 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus is named after Sir John Shore, the governor-general of the British East India Company, 1793–1798. The timber of trees of the genus is sold under the common names lauan, luan, lawaan, meranti, seraya, balau, bangkirai, and Philippine mahogany.

<i>Mesua</i> Genus of flowering plants

Mesua is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae, native to tropical southern Asia. Common names include ironwood and rose chestnut.

<i>Dipteryx</i> Genus of legumes

Dipteryx is a genus containing a number of species of large trees and possibly shrubs. It belongs to the "papilionoid" subfamily – Faboideae – of the family Fabaceae. This genus is native to South and Central America and the Caribbean. Formerly, the related genus Taralea was included in Dipteryx.

<i>Intsia bijuga</i> Species of tree in the family Fabaceae

Intsia bijuga, commonly known as Borneo teak, Johnstone River teak, Kwila, Moluccan ironwood, Pacific teak, scrub mahogany and vesi, is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to the Indo-Pacific. It ranges from Tanzania and Madagascar east through India and Queensland, Australia, Papua New Guinea to the Pacific islands of Fiji and Samoa. It grows to around 50 metres tall with a highly buttressed trunk. It inhabits mangrove forests. Intsia bijuga differ from Intsia palembanica in the number of leaflets that make up their compound leaves.

<i>Intsia</i> Genus of legumes

Intsia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes two species which range from eastern Africa and Madagascar to India, Indochina, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, northern Australia, and the south Pacific. They are trees which grow up to 40 (–45) meters tall, often buttressed, evergreen and unarmed. Typical habitat is humid tropical lowland forest including coastal forest on sand, rain forest, mangrove fringes and tidal river mouths, and occasionally inland on hills.

<i>Aglaia lawii</i> Species of tree in the Meliaceae from Tropical Asia and China

Aglaia lawii is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae. As well as the autonym species, there are two subspecies accepted.

<i>Antiaris</i> Genus of plants

Antiaris toxicaria is a tree in the mulberry and fig family, Moraceae. It is the only species currently recognized in the genus Antiaris. The genus Antiaris was at one time considered to consist of several species, but is now regarded as just one variable species which can be further divided into five subspecies. One significant difference within the species is that the size of the fruit decreases as one travels from Africa to Polynesia. Antiaris has a remarkably wide distribution in tropical regions, occurring in Australia, tropical Asia, tropical Africa, Indonesia, the Philippines, Tonga, and various other tropical islands. Its seeds are spread by various birds and bats, and it is not clear how many of the populations are essentially invasive. The species is of interest as a source of wood, bark cloth, and pharmacological or toxic substances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environment of Malaysia</span> Megadiverse ecology with rainforests and ocean

The environment of Malaysia is the biotas and geologies that constitute the natural environment of Malaysia. Malaysia's ecology is megadiverse, with a biodiverse range of flora and fauna found in various ecoregions throughout the country. Tropical rainforests encompass between 59% and 70% of Malaysia's total land area, of which 11.6% is pristine. Malaysia has the world's fifth largest mangrove area, which totals over a half a million hectares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deforestation in Borneo</span> Deforestation

Deforestation in Borneo has taken place on an industrial scale since the 1960s. Borneo, the third largest island in the world, divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, was once covered by dense tropical and subtropical rainforests.

<i>Chisocheton</i> Genus of flowering plants

Chisocheton is a genus of trees in the family Meliaceae. The genus name comes from the Greek schizos and chiton meaning "split tunic", referring to the lobed staminal tube of C. patens. Their range is from India and tropical China, throughout Malesia and south to New South Wales and Vanuatu.

<i>Goniocheton arborescens</i> Species of plant in the family Meliaceae

Goniocheton arborescens, commonly known in Australia as Mossman mahogany, is a small tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is native to rainforests of Malesia, Papuasia, Queensland and nearby islands.

<i>Brucea javanica</i> Species of plant

Brucea javanica is a plant in the family Simaroubaceae. The specific epithet javanica is from Latin, meaning "of Java". Other common names in English include Java brucea and kosam.

<i>Falcataria falcata</i> Species of plant in the family Fabaceae

Falcataria falcata, commonly known as the Moluccan albizia, is a species of fast-growing tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to the Maluku Islands, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands. It is cultivated for timber throughout South Asian and Southeast Asian countries. This tree is considered to be invasive in Hawaii, American Samoa and several other island nations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It reaches about 30 m (100 ft) tall in nature, and has a massive trunk and an open crown.

<i>Tabebuia heterophylla</i> Species of tree

Tabebuia heterophylla is a species of tree native to the Caribbean, and is also cultivated. It is also known as Roble blanco, pink manjack, pink trumpet tree, white cedar, and whitewood.

Spathiostemon javensis is a plant that can grow as a shrub or a tree in the tribe Acalypheae of the family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to the region from the Bismarck Archipelago to New Guinea, Wallacea and into Southeast Asia. It is often common in the understorey of forests. The wood is used in constructions.

References

  1. 1 2 Barstow, M. (2021). "Intsia palembanica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T62026259A62026261. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  2. "Intsia palembanica Miq". Plants of the World Online. Kew Science. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  3. USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. "Intsia palembanica Miq". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  4. "Intsia palembanica - Miq. [Common Name: Borneo Teak, Merbau]". Plants for a Future. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Merbau penuhi ciri Simbolik Malaysia" [Merbau meets the characteristics of Malaysia symbolic] (in Malay). Radio Televisyen Malaysia. 23 August 2019. Archived from the original on 24 August 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2019. The Merbau Tree or its scientific name Intsia Palembanica is also known as Malacca Teak, Borneo Teak and Moluccan Ironwood for loggers.
  6. Tropical Legumes: Resources for the Future : Report of an Ad Hoc Panel of the Advisory Committee on Technology Innovation, Board on Science and Technology for International Development, Commission on International Relations, National Research Council. National Academies. 1979. p.  216. NAP:14318. Intsia bijuga and Intsia palembanica differ mainly in the number of leaflets that make up their compound leaves. Both are native to tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia and the islands of the southwest Pacific.
  7. Annuar, Azil. "Malaysia now has a national tree: Merbau". Malay Mail. Retrieved 10 February 2022.