Koompassia excelsa
(Fabaceae)
Names and origins
Characters
Ecology
Uses
Conservation
This field has a content
Forest type (costal, hill, lowland, peatswamp, mountains, kerangas...)
Forest Layer (emergent, canopy, understory, forest floor, liana...)
Pioneer tree, late sucessional tree
Symbiotic microorganisms (Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, ectomycorrhiza)
Seed dispersal by animals
Pollination by birds, bats, bees, beetles
Symbiosis with animals, ants
Flowering habits and frequency
Seed germination conditions and time
<p>Tualang grows in lowland primary rainforest, mainly at moist locations along rivers, in valleys and lower slopes of hills. In Peninsular Malaysia, the distribution is restricted to north of Selangor and Pahang (Kuala Lumpur-Kuantan latitude).</p> <p>Flowers are pollinated by insects.</p> <p>Tree's trunk is reported to be too slippery for <i>Helarctos malayanus</i> (Malayan Sun Bear) to climb, hence species is preferred host for <i>Apis dorsata</i> (Asian Giant Honey Bee) to build their massive honeycombs. Couple with the difficulties working on the wood due to the presence of high silica content, these circumstances indirectly protected the tree from logging by its association with honey, which is worth more than the timber itself.</p> <p>Leaves eaten by <i>Trachypithecus obscurus</i> (Dusky Leaf Monkey) during dry season.</p> <p>Tualang is propagated by seed and stem cutting.</p>
Koompassia excelsa (Fabaceae) Koompassia excelsa (Fabaceae)