Damar Minyak - Landscapedaily

Scientific name : Agathis borneensis Warb.
Local name : Damar minyak
Family : Araucariaceae

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTIONS

Habit :

A large, evergreen tree, grows up to 42 m tall. Bark varies; light reddish to reddish brown, rarely purple, fibrous, soft and brittle. The inner bark light red to reddish brown, rarely purple, fibrous, soft, brittle; resin fast-flowing, translucent to yellowish white, sticky, sometimes become dark grey or black when hardened. The sapwood is pale red to yellowish brown; the heartwood is white to light yellow.

Leaves :

The leaves are opposite, narrow to broadly elliptic, sometimes narrowly ovate, glossy, young to dark green, and thick, 4-14.5 x 2-5.5 cm; petioles are about 5-15 mm long, flattened, sometimes slightly darker than the lamina when dry. The young leaves are oblanceolate, 8.5-15 x 2-4.5 cm, thinly coriaceous, with narrowly attenuate apex. Its margin is entire, slightly thickened, recurved, with narrowly attenuate to broadly acute apex, rarely rounded; veins closely parallel, distinct above, indistinct below; intercostal veins very faint on both surfaces; resin canals between vascular bundles frequently in pairs, one canal above the other.

Inflorescence :
The trees produce cones, oval to globular, about 5-9 x 2-4 cm.

Flowers :
Non-flowering plant.

Fruits :
Seeds are brown, winged, oblique and obovate.

LANDSCAPE USE :

Conservation status :
Endangered

Ecology and distribution :

The plant can be found at an elevation of 10 - 1200 m in lowland to lower montane forest (common in ridges) in Sumatera, Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo) and Brunei. Formerly found in coastal padang formation on BRIS soil in Pak Kanchil Forest Reserve, Terengganu, but was burnt. In Borneo, it often forms pure stands in sandy heath forest over podzols.

Diagnostic characters :

Coniferous tree Large evergreen tree, up to 42 m tall Produce cones Bark: light reddish to reddish brown, soft and brittle Fruits: brown and winged

References
[1]Farjon, A. 2013. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.

[2] Kiew, R., Chung, R.C.K., Saw, L.G., Soepadmo, E., Boyce, P.C. 2011. Flora of Peninsular Malaysia, Malayan Forest Records No. 49, Series II: Seed Plants. 1:63-64. Malaysia. Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment