MALAYSIAN NATIVES: CENGAL PASIR & MERANTI TEMBAGA
Cengal Pasir or also known as Merawan Siput Jantan is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. Its scientific name is Hopeo Odorata. It can be found in tropical rainforest such as in Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The plant can grow up to 45 m in height with the base of the trunk reaching a diameter of 4.5 m. They grow in forests, preferably near rivers and streams, at altitudes between 0 and 600m. Nowadays, people also plant this tree as boundary marker, as shade tree and for timber for building houses.
Meranti Tembaga is also in the family of Dipterocarpaceae. The scientific name for the tree is Shorea Leprosula. It can be found in Malaysia, Borneo, Thailand and Sumatera. Shorea leprosula is one of the fastest growing species of Dipterocarp up to about its twentieth year, but it is later surpassed by other Dipterocarp species. They can grow in a wide variety of site conditions with flat topography found throughout hilly areas, frequently found on well-drained soil, on deep clay soils or swampy soil in the mixed Dipterocarp forest of lowlands and hill up to 700 meter above sea level, but it is a strongly light-demanding species.
Respond of the tree to light
Hopea Odorata is a shade-tolerant plants which means that it can grows better in a moderate light condition. However, Shorea Leprosula is a more light-demanding species and its growth are very depending on the presence of light. Therefore, the key success of planting Shorea Leprosula is the light control.
Effect of the tree to fertilizer
For dipterocarp trees such as Hopea Odorata and Shorea Leprosula, they depend more on the presence of mycorrhizae compared to the presence of fertilizer. Mycorrizae is a mutual symbiotic activity between roots and fungi of the plant. The fungi will supply nutrients to the plants. Therefore, the plants can grow on very nutrient poor soils despite being highly nutrient demanding.