Scientific Name
Dillenia spp.
Trade Name
Simpoh
Family Name
Dilleniaceae
Common Names
Dillenia, Katmon, Masurina, Poplea, San, San na, Simpoh, Simpur, Thabyu
Regions of Distribution
Oceania and S.E. Asia
Countries of Distribution [VIEW MAP]
Australia, China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea
Common Uses
Balusters, Bedroom suites, Building construction, Building materials, Cabinetmaking, Chairs, Chests, Concealed parts (Furniture), Construction, Crossties, Decorative plywood, Desks, Dining-room furniture, Dowell pins, Dowells, Drawer sides, Excelsior, Fine furniture, Floor lamps, Furniture , Furniture components, Furniture squares or stock, Hatracks, Interior construction, Joinery, Kitchen cabinets, Light construction, Living-room suites, Moldings, Office furniture, Pile-driver cushions, Piling, Plywood, Radio – stereo – TV cabinets, Railroad ties, Rustic furniture, Stairworks, Stools, Stringers, Structural plywood, Tables
Environmental Profile
| Status unknown due to inadequate information | ||||||||||||
| Status has not been officially assessed |
Distribution Overview
Indo-Malaysia (Philippines, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Cambodia, India). Generally found in the lowland and hill dipterocarp forests, swamp forests and schima-bamboo secondary forests.
Heartwood Color
| Reddish brown | ||||||||||||
| Purplish | ||||||||||||
| Deposits in vessels may appear as white lines on the surface | ||||||||||||
| Darkens with age |
Sapwood Color
| Paler than heartwood | ||||||||||||
| Not clearly differentiated from the heartwood |
Grain
| Interlocked | ||||||||||||
| Even |
| Twisted | ||||||||||||
| Seldom straight, possibly interlocked | ||||||||||||
| Interlocked |
Quartersawn surfaces may yield an attractive silver figure
Texture
| Medium | ||||||||||||
| Medium coarse to coarse | ||||||||||||
| Even textured |
Luster
| Low |
Natural Durability
| Very little natural resistance | ||||||||||||
| Sapwood susceptible to attack by powder post beetles |
Odor
| No specific smell or taste |
Kiln Schedules
| T3 – C2 (4/4) US/T3 – C2 (4/4) U |
Drying Defects
| Splitting | ||||||||||||
| Quartersawn material less prone to degrade | ||||||||||||
| Material may warp and end-check during seasoning |
Ease of Drying
| Specific information on drying difficulty is not available | ||||||||||||
| Quartersawn material dries with little degrade |
Radial – 2.2%
Shrinkage for Dillenia spp. (Green to Air-dry):
Tangential – 3.9%
Tree Size
| Bole length is 0-10 m |
Stilt roots are often present
Product Sources
Various species in the Dillenia genus from the Philippines are so similar to one another that they are often mixed and marketed together without any distinction. The most common ones are Katmon-bayani (D. megalantha), Malakatmon (D. luzoniensis), Katmon (D. philippinensis), and Katmon-kalabau (D. reifferscheidia).
Boring
| Easy |
Cutting Resistance
| Easy to saw | ||||||||||||
| Sawn timber may spring immediately after sawing | ||||||||||||
| Fine dust may clog saw teeth | ||||||||||||
| Fairly easy to saw |
Nailing
| Nails hold poorly |
Planing
| Planing yields smooth surfaces |
Resistance to Impregnation
| Heartwood is somewhat permeable |
The heartwood response to preservative treatment is fair. Absorptions of 6 to 10 pcf of preservative oil have been reported
Response to Hand Tools
| Easy to Work |
Turning
| Good results |
Numerical Data
| Item | Green | Dry | English |
| Bending Strength | 6747 | 14355 | psi |
| Density | 44 | lbs/ft3 | |
| Hardness | 1225 | lbs | |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 3742 | 6350 | psi |
| Stiffness | 1201 | 1676 | 1000 psi |
| Specific Gravity | 0.55 | ||
| Weight | 43 | 35. | lbs/ft3 |
| Item | Green | Dry | Metric |
| Bending Strength | 474 | 1009 | kg/cm2 |
| Density | 705 | kg/m3 | |
| Hardness | 555 | kg | |
| Maximum Crushing Strength | 263 | 446 | kg/cm2 |
| Stiffness | 84 | 117 | 1000 kg/cm2 |
| Specific Gravity | 0.55 |
References
Chudnoff, M.,1984,Tropical Timbers of the World,U.S.A. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products,Laboratory, Madison.
EcoTimber International, San Francisco, California. Personal Communication, 1993.
Eddowes, P.J. 1977. Commercial Timbers of Papua New Guinea – Their Properties and Uses. Forest Products Research Center, Office of Forests, Department of Primary Industry, Papua New Guinea.
Keating, W.G., Bolza, E.,1982,Characteristics properties and uses of timbers. South East Asia, Northern,Australia and the Pacific,C.S.I.R.O. Div. Chemical Technology,Inkata Press,1
Reyes, L.J. 1938. Philippine Woods. Department of Agriculture and Commerce, Technical Bulletin 7, Commonwealth of the Philippines, Bureau of Printing, Manila.
The Ecological Trading Company Limited (ETC, Newcastle upon Tyre, United Kingdom.