Shorea robusta Gaertn.

Shorea species are trees, crown of mature trees dome shaped. Bark often fissured, light brown or reddish brown, bole straight, base of the trunk buttressed, flaked, branchlets glabrous or pubescent or lenticellate, white resin. Leaves simple, alternate, lanceolate-ovate to oblanceolate-elliptic, base obtuse to rounded, margins entire or repand, apex obtuse to acute, coriaceous, leathery, midrib impressed above and prominent beneath, lateral veins subparallel, curved near margins, tertiary veins scalariform, petiole stout, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, stipules large or small, persistent or caducous, coriaceous. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, lax panicles or cymes. Flowers bisexual, large, fragrant, pink or white, pedicel short, bracts persistent, caducous or ebracteate, calyx 5 lobed, tubular with short valvate lobes, imbricate, adnate to the receptacle, outer 3 larger than the inner 2 lobes, hairy, petals 5, white, pale yellow to pinkish strips, base slightly connate, sometimes free, pubescent outside. Stamens 15 or 25-100, adnate persistent, filaments somewhat flattened or tapering and filiform, anthers subglobose, narrow oblong-ovate, connective subulate, beyond anther lobes, hair-like. Ovary enclosed inside calyx tube, narrow ovoid, pubescent, tri-locular, 2 ovules per locule, stylopodium distinct or not, style subulate, stigma entire or tri-lobed. Fruit capsule or nutlike, indehiscent rarely dehiscent, enclosed in calyx tube with 3 outer accrescent larger and broader lobes and 2 inner ones like wings, calyx lobes base thick, saccate. Seeds 1, cotyledons large, fleshy.

Tree

Shorea species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: February—May/May—July.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Large deciduous trees, up to 50 m tall, girth up to 4 m, crown of mature trees dome shaped. Bark often fissured, flaky or smooth, reddish brown, bole straight, base of the trunk buttressed, flaked and wood hard, pale brown, branchlets buff tomentose, white resin. Leaves simple, alternate, lanceolate-ovate to oblong-elliptic, about 8-40 x 4-24 cm across, base obtuse to cordate, margins entire, apex acute with very short acuminate tip, reddish or pinkish when young becoming dark green when mature, coriaceous, midrib impressed above and prominent beneath, lateral veins 11-13 on either side of the midrib, subparallel, curved near margins, tertiary veins scalariform, petiole stout, glabrous, about 2-2.5 cm long, stipules lanceolate-falcate, fugacious, caducous, covered with silvery peltate scales, about 8 mm long. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, panicles or unilateral racemes, up to 25 cm long. Flowers bisexual, large, fragrant, yellow or cream white, pedicel subsessile, bracts minute, caducous, calyx 5 lobed, tubular with short valvate lobes, imbricate, ovate-triangular, adnate to the receptacle, outer 3 larger than the inner 2 lobes, about 2-2.5 mm long, petals 5, white, pale yellow to pinkish strips, lanceolate, base slightly connate, apex acuminate, glabrous inside, buff pubescent outside, 10-13 nerved longitudinally. Stamens 25 or more, adnate persistent, short, filaments somewhat flattened or tapering and filiform, anthers subglobose, narrow oblong-ovate, connective subulate, minutely tri-fid towards beyond anther lobes, hair-like. Ovary enclosed inside calyx tube, narrow ovoid, pubescent, tri-locular, 2 ovules per locule, stylopodium distinct or not, style subulate, stigma tri-lobed or tri dentate. Fruit capsule or nutlike, ovoid, apex acute, densely pubescent, about 1.5 cm long, enclosed in calyx tube with 3 outer accrescent larger lobes and broader lobes, about 8 x 1.5 cm long and 2 inner ones, smaller, oblong-spathulate, apex obtuse, about 10-12 veined, about 3.5 x 0.5 cm across, calyx lobes base thick, saccate, pubescent. Seeds 1, cotyledons large, fleshy.

Large deciduous tree; bark reddish brown or grey with deep longitudinal furrows; branchlets stellate pubescent. Leaves simple, alternate, spiral; stipule small, caducous; petiole ca. 2 cm long; lamina ca. 8.5-14.5 x 7.4-9.4 cm, elliptic-oblong, cordate at base, acuminate at apex, margin entire or undulate, coriaceous, glabrous above and tomentose or pubescent beneath; secondary nerves 10-12 pairs. Inflorescence terminal or lateral drooping, lax panicles; flowers pale yellow. Fruits winged. Seed solitary.

Shorea species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus and fungi, affecting leaves, fruits and roots.

Tropical Himalayas to Southern Eastern Ghats.

Forested areas

Moist deciduous forests.

Lower Risk/least concern (IUCN).

Widely cultivated in India and other countries because regeneration is good. Wood is good timber, used in building construction, agricultural implements, frames, beams and ship building, used in Ayurveda, Tibetian, Unani, Sidha and folk medicines.