Hopea subalata

Hopea subalata or locally known as Merawan Kanching or Giam Kanching is a species of plant in the family Dipterocarpaceae. It is a tree endemic to Peninsular Malaysia where it is confined to Selangor.

Hopea subalata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Dipterocarpaceae
Genus: Hopea
Species:
H. subalata
Binomial name
Hopea subalata
Sym.

Description

Hopea subalata is a small-sized plant that reaches to about 32 cm in diameter. This species is a hyper-endemic species which is known only from lowland dipterocarp forest of Kanching Forest Reserve in Selangor.[2]

Etymology

The local name Kanching was named after its type locality of Kanching Forest Reserve in Selangor.[2] Merawan is a Malay term for "as high as the clouds" to represent its height while Giam is a Malay term for "tree with hardwood trunks and branches".[3][4]

Conservation effort

Although its timbers are not harvested commercially, it is still facing extinction issue due to its low population size and threats from urban development of nearby Rawang town.[2] As of 2010s, there were only 400 trees of Hopea subalata remain in the forest reserve and the world. Due to this, the Rawang Bypass that was constructed through the forest area was redesigned into curvy structure to reduce extensive felling of trees, cutting and filling of slopes, and disruption of free flow of wildlife in the area.[5]


References
  1. Ashton, P. 1998. Hopea subalata. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 21 August 2007.
  2. "Hopea subalata". Mybis.gov.my.
  3. "Merawan". prpm.dbp.gov.my.
  4. "Giam". prpm.dbp.gov.my.
  5. "Rawang Bypass". Constructionplusasia.com.


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