Dipterocarpus indicus Willd.

 Family - Dipterocarpaceae

Synonym - Echinodiscus echinatus, Lingoum echinatum , Lingoum indicum , Malaparius flavus, Pterocarpus blancoi 

Vernacular names - Arayangili, Kalpayin, Kakka, Karanjili, Vavangu, Vella-ayani

Habit - Tree

Habitat - Evergreen and semi-evergreen forests

Distribution - Western Ghats (Endemic)

Flowering and Fruiting - February-July

Key Identification Feature - These tall trees maintain their green foliage year-round, unlike deciduous trees that shed leaves during winter. With straight boles and tomentose branchlets, they stand resilient in various climates. Their ovate leaves, measuring 7-25 cm long, have crenate margins and parallel lateral nerves. Fragrant white flowers cluster in axillary racemes, while the reddish-brown nut fruits bear oblong wings. These evergreens are a testament to nature’s enduring beauty and adaptability .

Uses - It is  also known as the Malabar ironwood, provides valuable timber used in plywood production, house construction, shipbuilding, and railway carriages.  Additionally, the tree produces oleoresin, which finds applications in varnishes, inks, and traditional remedies.

Vatica chinensis L.

 

Family: Dipterocarpaceae

Synonym: Pteranthera chinensis (L.) Blume

Vernacular name: Adakkapine, Cherupiney, Payinipasa

Habit: Tree

Habitat: Along streams of evergreen forests.

Distribution: Asia: India, Sri Lanka.

Flowering and fruiting: March-June

Key identification features: South-Indian Vatica is an evergreen tree, with bark pale green, smooth; exudation resinous. Flowers are bisexual, white, broen in leaf-axils, in spreading panicles. Fruit is a capsule, scaly, nearly spherical shortly pointed with 3 obscure furrows, finely velvet-hairy.

Uses: Wood is durable in moist and water immersions also, used in building construction. Resin used in folk medicine and manufacturing varnishes.

Vateria indica L.

 

Family: Dipterocarpaceae

Synonym: Vateria malabarica Blume

Vernacular name: Baine, Kunturukkam, Paenoe, Paine, Paini, Painimaram

Habit: LargeTree

Habitat: Evergreen and semi-evergreen forests

Distribution: Western Ghats

Flowering and fruiting: March-August

Key identification features: White Damar is a tall tree. Bark is greyish, smooth; Leaves are elliptic-oblong. Flowers are borne in panicles in leaf axils, with dense stellate hairs. Flowers are white, anthers yellow. Capsule is pale brown.

Uses: Wood is extensively used for making partitions, chests, boxes, cabinets etc. Resin which is known as “Malabar fallow”, “dhupa fat”, “piney resin” or “white dammar” used to manufacture candles and soaps.

Hopea racophloea Dyer

 

Family: Dipterocarpaceae

Synonym: Hopea malabarica Bedd.

Vernacular name: Naduvalippongu, Neduvalikongu, Naikambagam, Thondupoliyan-pongu

Habit: Tree

Habitat: Evergreen forests

Distribution: Peninsular India

Flowering & Fruiting: February-May

Key identification features: Tree with exfoliating dark brown bark. Leaves simple, alternate; Flowers bisexual, pinkish-yellow, 2-4 together, in axillary unilateral racemose panicles; Fruit a nut, glabrous, closely surrounded by the base of calyx; reddish.

Uses: Used in herbal medicine for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects

Hopea ponga (Dennst.) Mabb.

 

Family: Dipterocarpaceae

Synonym: Artocarpus ponga Dennst.

Vernacular name: Eyyakam, Illapongu, Irumbakam, Kambakam, Naduvalippongu, Pongu

Habit: Tree

Habitat: Evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests at elevation of 400-700 m, also in sacred groves in the plains

Distribution: Southern Western Ghats

Flowering & Fruiting: July-November

Key identification features: A lofty tree of Western Ghats. Leaves are simple, oblong-lanceolate, with a swollen petiole and yellow tomentum. Flowers are bisexual and borne on branched inflorescence. Petals are ovate-lanceolate and hairy outside. Sepals are enlarged and remain persistant as wings on the fruit, greenish but turning to red when fruit matures.

Uses: Utilized for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, antimicrobial activity, antioxidant properties

Hopea parviflora Bedd.

 

Family: Dipterocarpaceae

Vernacular name: Irumbagam, Iripu, Kambagam, Thambagam

Habit: Tree

Habitat: Evergreen and semi-Evergreen forests, also in sacred groves in the plains

Distribution: Southern Western Ghats

Flowering & Fruiting: January-June

Key identification features: Leaves lanceate, base rounded to acute, apex acute. Bark splitting into elongated pieces, rusty brown or greyish. Flowers pedicelled, glabrous, in  axillary and terminal, dense pubescent panicles. Nuts glaborous

Uses: Timber yielding