''Gonystylus'' is a southeast

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of about 30

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes fro ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s also known as ramin, melawis ( Malay) and ramin telur (

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, ...

Description

Ramin is native to

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, with the highest species diversity on

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java Isl ...

. It is related to ''

Arnhemia Arnhemia is a town in Deli Serdang Regency, North Sumatra North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's f ...

'', '' Deltaria'', '' Lethedon'' and ''

Solmsia ''Solmsia'' is a genus containing one or two species of flowering plants belonging to the family Thymelaeaceae. It is endemic to New Caledonia. The genus was named to honor Hermann zu Solms-Laubach by Henri Ernest Baillon. It is related to '' A ...

''. Ramin is a medium-sized

, attaining a height of about 24 m (80 ft) with a straight, clear (branch-free), unbuttressed bole about 18 m (60 ft) long and 60 cm (2 ft) in

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest chord of the circle. Both definitions are also valid fo ...

. The trees are slow-growing, occurring mainly in swamp

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

Species

The Plant List The Plant List was a list of botanical names of species of plants created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Missouri Botanical Garden and launched in 2010. It was intended to be a comprehensive record of all known names of plant species ...

'' recognises 32 accepted species: * '' Gonystylus acuminatus'' * ''

Gonystylus affinis ''Gonystylus affinis'' is a tree in the family Thymelaeaceae. Description ''Gonystylus affinis'' grows as a tree up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . The bark is reddish brown. The fruit is also reddish brown, up to in diameter. Distr ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus areolatus ''Gonystylus areolatus'' grows as a small tree up to tall. Bark is greyish brown. Habitat is mixed dipterocarp forest at around altitude. ''G. areolatus'' is endemic to Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus augescens ''Gonystylus augescens'' grows as a small tree. The twigs are dark brown. Fruit is ellipsoid, reddish brown, up to long. The specific epithet ''augescens'' is from the Latin meaning "elongating", referring to the inflorescence. Habitat is lowlan ...

'' * '' Gonystylus bancanus'' * ''

Gonystylus borneensis ''Gonystylus borneensis'' grows as a tree up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . Bark is greyish brown. Fruit is round, brown, up to in diameter. Habitat is forest from sea-level to altitude. ''G. borneensis'' is endemic to Borneo ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus brunnescens ''Gonystylus brunnescens'' grows as a tree up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . Bark is reddish to dark brown. Fruit is round, brown, up to in diameter. The specific epithet ''brunnescens'' is from the Latin meaning "brownish". Its habi ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus calophylloides ''Gonystylus calophylloides'' is a species of plant in the Thymelaeaceae family. It is a tree endemic to Borneo where it is confined to Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest amo ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus calophyllus ''Gonystylus calophyllus'' is a tree in the family Thymelaeaceae. The specific epithet ''calophyllus'' means 'beautiful leaves'. Description ''Gonystylus calophyllus'' grows as a small tree up to tall. The twigs are dark brown. Distribution an ...

'' * '' Gonystylus confusus'' * ''

Gonystylus consanguineus ''Gonystylus consanguineus'' is a species of plant in the Thymelaeaceae family. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and fe ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus costalis ''Gonystylus costalis'' is a species of plant in the Thymelaeaceae family. It is a tree endemic to Borneo where it is confined to Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus decipiens ''Gonystylus decipiens'' is a species of tree in the Thymelaeaceae family. It is endemic to Borneo where it is confined to Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 sta ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus eximius ''Gonystylus eximius'' is a tree in the family Thymelaeaceae. The specific epithet ''eximius'' means 'excellent'. Description ''Gonystylus eximius'' grows as a small tree up to tall, with a stem diameter of up to . The twigs are yellowish brown ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus forbesii ''Gonystylus forbesii'' is a tree in the family Thymelaeaceae. Description ''Gonystylus forbesii'' grows as a tree up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . The bark is greyish brown. Its flowers are reddish yellow. The fruit is dark brown, ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus glaucescens ''Gonystylus glaucescens'' is a species of plant in the Thymelaeaceae family. It is endemic to Kalimantan in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pac ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus keithii ''Gonystylus keithii'' is a species of plant in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal ...

'' * '' Gonystylus lucidulus'' * ''

Gonystylus macrocarpus ''Gonystylus'' is a southeast Asian genus of about 30 species of hardwood trees also known as ramin, melawis (Malay) and ramin telur (Sarawak). Description Ramin is native to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Papua Ne ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus macrophyllus ''Gonystylus macrophyllus'' is a species of plant in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Nicobar Islands, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, the Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus maingayi ''Gonystylus maingayi'' is a tree in the family Thymelaeaceae. Description ''Gonystylus maingayi'' grows as a tree up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . Its bark is grey to brown. The fruit is round, dark brown, up to in diameter. Dist ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus micranthus ''Gonystylus micranthus'' grows as a tree up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . Bark is dark brown. The fruit is dark brown, up to long. Its habitat is forest from sea-level to altitude. ''G. micranthus'' is endemic to Borneo. Ref ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus nervosus ''Gonystylus nervosus'' is a species of plant in the Thymelaeaceae family. It is a tree endemic to Borneo where it is confined to Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus nobilis ''Gonystylus nobilis'' is a species of plant in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is a tree endemic to Borneo where it is confined to Sarawak. The species has been assessed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to conversion of its forest habitat to ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus othmanii ''Gonystylus othmanii'' is a tree in the family Thymelaeaceae. Description ''Gonystylus othmanii'' grows as a tree up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . The bark is greyish brown. The fruit is brown, up to long. Distribution and habita ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus pendulus ''Gonystylus pendulus'' is a species of plant in the Thymelaeaceae family. It is a tree endemic to Borneo where it is confined to Sarawak. References pendulus Pleasure Island Family Theme Park was a theme park in Cleethorpes, North E ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus punctatus ''Gonystylus'' is a southeast Asian genus of about 30 species of hardwood trees also known as ramin, melawis (Malay) and ramin telur (Sarawak). Description Ramin is native to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Papua Ne ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus reticulatus ''Gonystylus'' is a southeast Asian genus of about 30 species of hardwood trees also known as ramin, melawis (Malay) and ramin telur (Sarawak). Description Ramin is native to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Papua Ne ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus spectabilis ''Gonystylus spectabilis'' is a species of plant in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is a tree endemic to Borneo where it is confined to Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus stenosepalus ''Gonystylus stenosepalus'' is a species of plant in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is a tree endemic to Borneo where it is confined to Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus velutinus ''Gonystylus velutinus'' is a tree in the family Thymelaeaceae. Description ''Gonystylus velutinus'' grows as a tree up to tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . Its bark is pale to reddish brown. The fruit is ellipsoid, brown, up to long. Di ...

'' * ''

Gonystylus xylocarpus ''Gonystylus xylocarpus'' is a species of plant in the family Thymelaeaceae. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia. References xylocarpus ''Xylocarpus'' is a genus of plants in the mahogany family (Meliaceae). It includes two or three sp ...

Uses

The white wood, harder and lighter in colour than many other

s, is often used in children's

furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating ( tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks) ...

window blind A window blind is a type of window covering. There are many different kinds of window blinds which use a variety of control systems. A typical window blind is made up of several long horizontal or vertical slats of various types of hard mate ...

dowel A dowel is a cylindrical rod, usually made of wood, plastic, or metal. In its original manufactured form, a dowel is called a ''dowel rod''. Dowel rods are often cut into short lengths called dowel pins. Dowels are commonly used as structural r ...

s, handles, blinds, and decorative mouldings. Because of its straight, clear grain, nowadays it is commonly used in Venice for the construction of oars. However,

over-exploitation Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource, as it will be unable to replenish. The term ap ...

has led to all species of ramin being listed as endangered species, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia. An estimated 90% of ramin in recent international trade is illegally logged.As the ramin forests themselves come under attack, the fragile ecosystems they support are also at risk. These trees provide the main habitat for other priority species such as the orangutan and the Indochinese, Sumatran and Malayan tigers.

Sumatra

Sumatra's

peat swamp forest Peat swamp forests are tropical moist forests where waterlogged soil prevents dead leaves and wood from fully decomposing. Over time, this creates a thick layer of acidic peat. Large areas of these forests are being logged at high rates. Peat ...

s are an important habitat for ramin trees. The Sumatran ramin tree species are

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

protected species. The logging and trade of ramin has been illegal in Indonesia since 2001. Internationally, any illegal trade in Indonesian ramin is prohibited under the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Indonesian government maps show that 800,000ha (28%) of Sumatra's peat swamp forest was cleared between 2003 and 2009. Some 22% of this clearance was in areas currently allocated to APP's log suppliers.The Ramin Paper Trail

Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth ...

March 1, 2012

References

External links

Species Survival Network factsheet
(pdf file)
CITES
{{Woodworking Malvales genera

Description

Species

Uses

Sumatra

See also

References

External links