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Shorea bentongensis Foxw.

Family Name:	Dipterocarpaceae
Synonyms:	Shorea pahangensis Foxw.
Common Name:	Meranti Mengkai, Meranti Sega, Bok

Shorea bentongensis, also known as Meranti Mengkai, is a tree endemic to Peninsular Malaysia. Growing up to 50 m tall, it has winged fruit that are dispersed by wind. It produces white meranti timber that is prized regionally for construction and plywood.

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Semi Shade

Moderate Water

Tree

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Species Epithet
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Species Summary

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants)
Plant Growth Form	Tree
Lifespan (in Singapore)	Perennial

Mode of Nutrition	Autotrophic
Plant Shape	Broad / Mushroom / Hemispherical
Maximum Height	50 m
Tree or Palm – Trunk Diameter	2.5 m

Biogeography

Native Distribution	Endemic to Peninsular Malaysia (Selangor, Pahang, Johor).
Native Habitat	Terrestrial
Preferred Climate Zone	Tropical

Local Conservation Status

Non-native

Description and Ethnobotany

Growth Form	It is a tree, up to 50 m tall and 2.5 m girth, with buttresses.
Foliage	Leaves are leathery, broadly egg-shaped (7 – 15 cm long and 4 – 8 cm wide) with the leaf margin slightly curled downwards (subrevolute). Each leaf has 13 – 16 pairs of lateral veins. The midrib is depressed on the upper surface and the lateral veins are prominent on the underside. Leaf tip is prominent and slender (1.5 cm long) while the leaf base is slightly heart shaped to broadly wedged shaped. Stipule is broadly elliptic (12 mm long and 7 mm wide), falls off early and leaving behind a stipular scar. The petiole is short and stout (8 – 13 mm long). Both the stipules and petiole, along with the young twigs and leaf buds, are covered with short beige to brown hairs.
Flowers	Flowers occur in a cluster as a panicle inflorescence at the terminal or axillary position. Inflorescence is single-branched, reaching up to 6 cm long. Flower is pale yellow, with 15 stamens with oblong to strap-shaped anthers. The appendages are very slender and about thrice the length of the anthers. The ovary is oval shaped with a long tapering style.

Fruit	The fruit is winged and dry. They are borne on stalks which are 3 mm long. Each fruit comprises of three longer calyx lobes (7.5 cm long and 0.8 cm wide), two shorter lobes (1.2 cm long and 0.2 mm wide) and one oval-shaped nut (2 cm long and 2.5 cm wide) with a long linear style remnant at the tip (0.4cm long).
Habitat	It is found in evergreen to semi-evergreen lowland forests.
Similar	It closely resembles Shorea hypochra and Shorea roxburghii. S. bentongensis is an evergreen tree with 13 – 16 pairs of lateral veins, midrib that is depressed on the upper surface, short petiole (0.8 – 1.3 cm long) and fruit calyx lobes about twice the length of the nut. On the other hand, S. hypochra has at least 15 pairs of lateral veins, longer petiole (at least 2 cm long) and fruit calyx lobes at least thrice as long as the nut. While S. roxburghii is deciduous or semi-deciduous and has a flattened midrib.
Associated Fauna	Flowers are pollinated by insects.
Taxonomy	It is first collected in Bentong district of Pahang in 1919 and described by Foxworthy in 1932.
Cultivation	It can be propagated by seed. Seeds rapidly loses their viability and freshly collected seeds are best sown quickly for high germination rate. Seedlings require shaded condition until they reach a height of about 1.5 m. The young trees show a tendency to form multiple leader when exposed to full sun. Beetles of the family Scolytidae can cause damage to fruits.
Etymology	Latin Shorea, commemorating Sir John Shore (1793-1798), the Governor-General for the British East India Company; Latin bentongensis, refers to Bentong district in Pahang, Malaysia, one of the places where it occurs naturally.
Ethnobotanical Uses	Timber & Products: It produces white meranti timber, a lightweight hardwood. The logs float and are often transported by river. The wood is treated and used for a wide variety of purposes such as furniture making, door and window frames, rafters and joists. It is also prized as a plywood and veneer timber. The wood pulp can also be used to make paper. The high silica content present in the timber makes it difficult to saw and blunts the cutting tools easily.

Landscaping Features

Landscape Uses	Parks & Gardens

Fauna, Pollination and Dispersal

Pollination Method(s)	Biotic (Fauna)
Seed or Spore Dispersal	Abiotic

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference	Full Sun, Semi-Shade
Water Preference	Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Slow

Rootzone Tolerance	Well-Drained Soils
Propagation Method	Seed
Propagule Establishment Remarks	Seedlings require shaded condition until they reach a height of about 1.5 m. The young trees show a tendency to form multiple leader when exposed to full sun.
Propagation Method Remarks	It can be propagated by seed. Seeds rapidly loses their viability and freshly collected seeds are best sown quickly for high germination rate.

Foliar

Foliage Retention	Evergreen
Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Mature Foliage Texture(s)	Leathery

Foliar Type	Simple / Unifoliate
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem	Alternate
Foliar Attachment to Stem	Petiolate
Foliar Shape(s)	Non-Palm Foliage (Obovate)
Foliar Venation	Pinnate / Net
Foliar Margin	Entire
Foliar Apex - Tip	Acuminate
Foliar Base	Cordate, Cuneate

Non - Foliar and Storage

Trunk Type (Non Palm)	Woody
Mature Bark Texture	Fissured
Stem Type & Modification	Woody

Root Type

Underground

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower & Plant Sexuality	Bisexual Flowers , Bisexual Flowers
Flower Colour(s)	Cream / Off-White

Flower Grouping	Cluster / Inflorescence
Flower Location	Axillary, Terminal
Flower Symmetry	Radial
Individual Flower Shape	Saucer-shaped
Inflorescence Type	Panicle
Flowering Period	Every Few Years
Flowering Habit	Polycarpic

Fruit, Seed and Spore

Mature Fruit Colour(s)	Brown
Mature Fruit Texture(s)	Leathery
Fruit Classification	Simple Fruit

Fruit Type	Indehiscent Dry Fruit , Nut / Nutlet
Seed Quantity Per Fruit	Few (1-5)

References

References	Ashton, P.S. (1982). Dipterocarpaceae. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (ed.) Flora Malesiana, ser.1, vol. 9, part 2, pp. 237–552, 575–600. The Hague/Boston/London: Martinus Nijhoff/Dr. W. Junk Publishers. Soerianegara, I., and Lemmens, R.H.M.J. (Editors). 1993. Plant Resources of South-East Asia Volume 5 (1). Timber Trees: Major Commercial Timbers. Netherlands: Pudoc Scientific Publishers. 610 pages. Symington, C.F. (1935). Notes on Malayan Dipterocarpaceae III. Gardens’ Bulletin Straits Settlements 8 (4), Pg 265-292.

References

Ashton, P.S. (1982). Dipterocarpaceae. In: van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (ed.) Flora Malesiana, ser.1, vol. 9, part 2, pp. 237–552, 575–600. The Hague/Boston/London: Martinus Nijhoff/Dr. W. Junk Publishers.

Soerianegara, I., and Lemmens, R.H.M.J. (Editors). 1993. Plant Resources of South-East Asia Volume 5 (1). Timber Trees: Major Commercial Timbers. Netherlands: Pudoc Scientific Publishers. 610 pages.

Symington, C.F. (1935). Notes on Malayan Dipterocarpaceae III. Gardens’ Bulletin Straits Settlements 8 (4), Pg 265-292.

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Master ID	30397
Species ID	4706
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