Shorea pauciflora King

Large buttressed tree. Leaf bud, stipule and panicle persistently shortly pale gold-brown pubescent; nervation, petiole and young twig sparsely dotted with minute caducous hair tufts. Twig 1.5-2.5 mm ø, terete at first smooth, becoming flaky; stipule scars pale, short, narrow, horizontal. Bud 4-8 by 2-3.5 mm, ovoid, acute. Stipule to 13 by 4 mm, hastate, acute. Leaves 9-15 by 4-5.5 cm, ovate, +-thinly coriaceous, frequently subequal; base obtuse to broadly cuneate; acumen 0.6-1.2 cm long, narrow; nerves 8-9 pairs, slender but prominent beneath, at c. 40°-50°, straight, slightly curved at the margin, occasionally with a few glabrous domatia; tertiary nerves very slender, densely scalariform, diagonal to the nerves; midrib narrowly depressed above, prominent beneath; petiole 1.3-1.8 cm long. Panicle to 15 cm long, terminal or axillary, ribbed or slightly compressed, lax; doubly or trebly branched, the branchlets bearing to 19 secund flowers; bracteoles to 4 by 2.5 mm, oblong, subacute, shortly densely pale yellow-brown to pubescent fugaceous. Flower bud c. 1 by 3.5 mm, ovoid, subacute. Calyx densely pale yellowish buff pubescent outside, glabrous within; lobes subequal, deltoid, obtuse, the 2 inner slightly narrower. Petals pale yellow, oblong, obtuse, densely pubescent on parts exposed in bud. Stamens 15, the inner 5 slightly longer than the other 10; filaments expanded at base, abruptly narrowing distally; anthers broadly oblong; appendage to connective c. 2 x length of anther, setose towards the apex, the inner 5 reaching the style apex. Ovary and stylopodium ovoid to conical, shortly densely pubescent; style glabrous, slightly shorter than ovary and stylopodium. Fruit subsessile. Calyx sparsely pubescent, more densely so at base; 3 longer lobes to 9 by 1.5 cm, spatulate, narrowly obtuse, c. 4 mm broad above the c. 8 by 11 mm rounded thickened saccate base; 2 shorter lobes to 5 by 0.5 cm, linear, similar at base. Nut c. 1.4 by 1.2 cm, broadly ovoid, obtuse or with a short acute style remnant, densely pale buff tomentose.

An emergent tree in undisturbed mixed dipterocarp forests at elevations up to 900 metres. Mostly found on hillsides with clay to sandy soils.

Uses. A valuable heavy red meranti.

Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.