Diospyros maingayi (Hiern.)
Bakh., Gard. Bull. S. S. 7 (1933)
Named after A.C. Maingay [1836-1869], a British physician and botanist.
Synonyms
Maba maingayi Hiern., Maba motleyi Hiern.
Description
Mid-canopy tree up to 34 m tall and 56 cm dbh. Stipules absent. Leaves
alternate, simple, penni-veined but secondary venation barely visible, glabrous,
drying almost black. Flowers ca. 4.5 mm in diameter, white-yellow-orange, with
corolla tube, placed in bundles in the leaf axil. Fruit ca. 40 mm long,
orange-red, fleshy berry.
Ecology
In undisturbed mixed dipterocarp, keranga, freshwater swamp and peat swamp
forests up to 1100 m altitude. On alluvial (swampy) sites with poor, sandy
soils. In secondary forest usually present as a pre-disturbance remnant tree.
Uses
The timber is used as ebony.
Distribution
Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo (Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah, West-,
Central-, South- and East-Kalimantan).
Local names in Borneo
Kayu arang, Kayu malam, Merpining daun besar, Uwar belang haduk.
