Shorea ovalis (Korth.) Bl., Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. 2 (1852)

Latin for 'oval or egg-shaped'.

Synonyms
Hopea aspera de Vriese
Shorea eximia Scheff.
Shorea eximia var. angustifolia Burck
Shorea fusca Burck
Shorea rigida Brandis
Shorea sericea Dyer
Shorea sublacunosa Scheff.
Vatica eximia Miq.
Vatica ovalis Korth.
Vatica sublacunosa Miq.

Diagnostics
Upper canopy tree up to 49 m tall and 138 cm dbh. Stem with resin. Stipules up to ca. 13 mm long. Leaves alternate, simple, penni-veined, very narrow and elongate, petiole and lower surface scaly, feeling like sand paper. Flowers ca. 12 mm in diameter, white-yellow, placed in panicles. Fruits ca. 12 mm long, reddish, with three ca. 78 mm long wings, wind dispersed.

Description
Large tree. Twig, petiole, nervation beneath, leaf undersurface, midrib above, panicle and parts of perianth exposed in bud densely persistently pinkbrown scabrid pubescent. Twig to 3 mm diameter apically, stout, terete, becoming smooth; stipule scars cuneate, c. 2 mm long, slightly ascending. Bud to 8 by 6 mm, ovoid, obtuse. Stipule to 13 by 7 mm, ovate, acute, prominently nerved, abruptly constricted at base, subpersistent. Leaves to 10-18 by 3-7 cm, oblong or narrowly ovate, attenuate, coriaceous; base obtuse; acumen to 8 mm long, narrow; margin +/- revolute; nerves (20-)22-25 pairs, dense, prominent beneath, curved, set at 55-70 ; tertiary nerves distinct, scalariform, at 90 degrees to nerves; midrib prominently terete beneath, shallowly depressed above; petiole 7-9 mm long. Panicle to 18 cm long, terminal or axillary, terete; singly or doubly regularly branched, branchlets short, compact, bearing to 8 flowers: bracteoles to 8 by 6 mm, broadh elliptic, obtuse, tightly cupped round the buds, pink-brown pubescent outside, glabrous within, falling at anthesis. Flower bud to 5 mm long, broadly ovoid to globose. Calyx densely goldenbrown pubescent outside, glabrous within: 3 outer lobes narrowly ovate, acuminate: 2 inner lobes shorter, subacute. Petals cream with a pink tinge towards base, ovate, obtuse, densely pubescent on parts exposed in bud. Stamens 50-70, of varying lengths, the innermost almost twice as long as the style and almost as long as the petals; filaments filiform, much twisted and folded in bud; anthers elliptic to oblong, the cells rather narrow; appendage to connective short, vestigial. Ovary and stylopodium narrowly conical, densely shortly pubescent in the distal half, glabrous at base; style short, cylindrical, glabrous. Fruit calyx puberulent; 3 longer lobes to 11 by 1.4 cm, spatulate, narrowly obtuse, to 7 mm broad above the to 12 by 9 mm elliptic shallowly saccate slightly thickened base: 2 shorter lobes to 6 by 0.4 cm, linear, similar at base. Nut to 2.2 by 1.3 cm, shortly evenly densely rufous pubescent; style remnant to 2.5 mm long, tapering, acute. [from Flora Malesiana]

Ecology
In undisturbed mixed dipterocarp forests up to 700 m altitude. Usually on hillsides and ridges, rarely alluvial. Mostly on (coarse) sandy to clayey soils.

Uses
The timber is used.

Distribution
Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo.

Local names
Borneo: Damar bakalon, damar salemsung, Damar putang, Lampong, Lampung merambung, Lempong rasa, Meranti luang, Meselurang, Perewan lilin, Sebang gunung putih, Seraya, Seraya kepong, Tahan letup, Tegerangan merah, Tekam padi.
Malaysia: Meranti kepong, Kepong labu, Kepong segar.
Sumatra: Meranti merah, Meranti sabut.