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Shorea obtusa, the Siamese sal, is a large deciduous hardwood tree of the Dipterocarp family, native to Southeast Asia and grown mainly for timber. It is a forest tree rather than a garden or houseplant.
Shorea obtusa, the Siamese sal, is a species of hardwood tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae, native to Southeast Asia.
Shorea obtusa is native to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It grows in relatively dry areas, often sharing the same habitat with Dipterocarpus obtusifolius, as well as oaks Quercus kerrii, Quercus kingiana, and pines, up to 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) elevation in Thailand. Another description of the habitat is that it grows in the clear forests at 150–1,300 m (500–4,300 ft).
As well as an export timber source, the wood is graded as first (highest) category in Cambodia. It is a very hard timber and is used to make columns, bridges, sleepers, and for other various construction purposes. Exposed in the open, it may last 10–15 years, though if indoors it may last 50–60 years. The resin, from the trunk, is used to make torches, while the bark is part of a malaria remedy. The tree is the most preferred source of firewood in some areas of Kompong Chhnang Province, Cambodia.
Shorea astylosa · Richetia gibbosa · Rubroshorea leprosula · Rubroshorea macrophylla · Rubroshorea pauciflora · Sal tree · Shorea sumatrana · Shorea tumbuggaia · Shorean
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Shorea obtusa 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
