The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #103616   Message #2116835
Posted By: Q (Frank Staplin)
01-Aug-07 - 05:18 PM
Thread Name: A waste of good mahogany
Subject: RE: A waste of good mahogany
To get really pedantic, Shorea belongs ot Order Ochnales, Family Dipterocarpaceae. Genera in that Family include Dipterocarpus, Vatica, Shorea, Hopea, Doona, Vateria, Monotes, Marquesia, etc., (following the classical classification of Bentham and Hooker, and Engler and Prantl).
Shorea robusta and other Shorea spp. are the major timber trees; some from Hopea. Shorea robusta is also called the Sal or Saul tree.

Dammar comes from Vateria indica L., of South India. I have used it to varnish oils. Windsor & Newton label it as poisonous (Hmmm, I wondered what happened to my wife. Accidentally spilt some in her Fundador).

(Botanical data from J. Hutchinson, "The Families of Flowering Plants," Oxford Press (Revised 1973, Stearn and Verdcourt).