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Eusideroxylon
Ironwood (Eusideroxylon zwageri, Bornean ironwood) is a single-species genus of very slow-growing, long-lived rainforest canopy trees from Borneo and Sumatra, prized for extremely durable timber. Growing it is mainly a matter of giving seedlings some shade and older trees full light, and it is rarely grown outside its native forests.
Eusideroxylon is a genus of evergreen trees of the family Lauraceae. The genus is monotypic, and includes one accepted species, Eusideroxylon zwageri. The species is commonly known as Bornean ironwood, or by the Malay names belian and ulin. It is predominantly found in Borneo and Sumatra, where it grows in lowland rainforests, but may also occur in the Philippines. The Bornean ironwood is an extremely slow growing tree, reaching up to 50 metres (160 ft) in height, with trunks over 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in diameter.
Eusideroxylon is classified as a hardwood tree, producing commercially valuable timber known for its high durability, as well as resistance to termites, rot, and fungi. This wood can last up to 100 years in contact with the ground. Due to extensive logging, it is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.
Eusideroxylon zwageri seedlings require some shade, while older trees need plenty of light. It can be found in valleys and on hillsides and even on low ridges when soil moisture is sufficient, throughout elevations between sea level and 650 m (2,130 ft). It may be found in secondary forests and a variety of soil types. The species is fire resistant, and is used for nesting by orangutans, hornbills, and raptors. The Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus malayanus) is known to "shatter" the trunks of this species; generally, sun bears damage standing tree trunks in the pursuit of honey (of Apis dorsata, A. cerana indica, and Meliponini).
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Eusideroxylon by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
