Select Language:  

SIMPOH (Dillenia indica)

Trade Name

Simpoh

Scientific Name

Dillenia indica L.

Family

DILLENIACEAE

Common Names

Simpur air (Indonesia); San (Cambodia); Thabyu (Myanmar); Handapara (Philippines); India katmon (Philippines); Simpoh kuning (Sarawak); Simpoh (Malaysia); San pao (Thailand); Sempu (Indonesia); Matat (Thailand); Sompru (Thailand); Sof baf (Vietnam)

Scientific Name Synonyms

Dillenia speciosa Thunb.; Dillenia elliptica Thunb.

Description Of The Tree

Botanical Description

It is a medium-sized to large evergreen tree up to 40 m tall. The bole is often rather crooked, branchless for up to 15 m. The diameter can be up to 120 cm, but it is often much less. The buttresses are absent or small.

Natural Habitat

Dillenia indica occurs in evergreen tropical rain forests, often along the rivers, up to 1,100 m of altitude.

Plantations Available?

This species is planted as ornamental in the Philippines.

Wood Identification

Anatomic Description Of Wood

Wood diffuse porous. Vessels exclusively solitary (over 90%). Tangential diameter of vessel lumina 200 micras or more (large). Colored deposits in heartwood vessels. Occasionally tyloses common. Vessels per mm2 5 to 20. Intervessel pits scalariform. Vessel-ray p Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and/or diffuse in aggregates. 5 to 8 cells per parenchyma strand. Rays less than 4 per mm (rare). Rays of two distinct sizes. Ray height more than 1 mm. Larger rays more than 4 seriate. Body ray cells procumbent with mostly 2 to 4 rows of upright and/or square marginal cells (Kribs-II). Fibers with distinctly bordered pits.

  • Wood Macro Photo Tangential Plane
  • Wood Micro Photo Of Transversal Section

Availability

Cites Status

Unrestricted

General Wood Description

Color

The heartwood is red-brown to dark reddish-brown, sometimes with a purplish tinge, and usually not demarcated from the slightly paler sapwood.

COLOR INDEX (1=Black, 7=Light yellow,white)

4

Grain

The grain is straight or, more usually, interlocked.

Texture

The texture is moderately coarse and even.

Natural Durability

The wood is susceptible to dry-wood termites, blue stain and decay fungi.

Natural durability index (1= Very high durability, 7=Vey low durability)

4

Silica Content

Silica Content: It contains 0.1% silica.

Resistance To Impregnation

It can be readily impregnated with preservative substances.

Wood Physical Properties

Basic Density or Specific Gravity (O.D. weight/vol. green) (g/cm³)

0.66

Air-dry Density (Weight and volume at 12%MC) (g/cm³)

0.74

Total shrinkage Tangential (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

9.2

Total shrinkage Radial (Saturated to 0%MC) (%)

6.0

Drying Defects

Ease of Drying: The wood dries fairly slowly. Boards 15 mm thick take 2.5 to 4 months to air dry from green to 15% moisture content. Drying Defects: Slight bowing and staining are reported.

Recommended Dry Kiln Schedule

UK-C

Dimensional stability ratio (Total Tangential Shrinkage %/Total Radial Shrinkage %)

1.5

Wood Chemical Properties

Wood Mechanical Properties

Bending Strength (MOR),12%MC (kgf/cm²)

1032

Stiffness (MOE) 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

134280

Compression parallel to fiber 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

542

Shear strength radial 12%MC (kgf/cm²)

97

Janka hardness (side) 12%MC (kgf)

454

Workability

Sawing

Sawdust can block the blades.

Rotary Veneer Cutting

It possible to produce decorative sliced veneer.

Sliced Veneer

It possible to produce decorative sliced veneer.

Machining

This species is easy to machine.

Planing

It is easy to plane.

Boring

Boring of this species is easy to fair.

Nailing

It needs pre-bore for nails, but it screws well. The nail holding properties are poor.

Gluing

Gluing of this species is easy.

Finishing

It is easy to finish to a smooth surface, but filling is necessary.

REFERENCED USES

End Uses Summary

HOUSING GENERAL, beams, joists, flooring, frames, steps, panelling, FURNITURE AND CABINETS, PLYWOOD AND VENEER, Decorative veneer, TOOLS, tool handles, PACKING, pallets, NAVAL CONSTRUCTION, OTHER AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, moldings

General Housing
  • 10 - Silica in Timbers
Beams
  • 11 - Prospect: The wood database
Joists
  • 12 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part I-Tropical American Species
Flooring
  • 14 - Handbook of Hardwoods
Frames
  • 16 - Woods of the World
Steps
  • 17 - Tree Conservation Database
Paneling
  • 18 - W3TROPICOS Missouri Botanical Garden
Furniture Cabinets
  • 21 - Tropical timbers of the world. Part III-Southeast Asian and Oceanian Species.
Panels, Veneers
  • 25 - Directory of Timber Trade Malaysia
Decorative veneer
  • 28 - Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forest of Fiji
Tools
  • 42 - Utilización Industrial de Nuevas Especies Forestales en el Perú.
Tool Handles
  • 43 - Maderas de Bolivia (Características y Usos de 55 Maderas Tropicales)
Packing
  • 45 - Recopilación y Análisis de Estudios Tecnológicos de Maderas Peruanas
Pallets
  • 48 - The strength properties of timbers
Shipbuilding
  • 55 - Tropical Timber Atlas of Latin America
Molding
  • 79 - Padronização da Nomenclatura Comercial Brasileira das Madeiras Tropicais Amazônicas, Sugestão

Please Provide Information To View Producer Information

* Or, continue as guest