Borneo tallow tree, Tungkul tengawang tree
Shorea stenoptera
Family: Dipterocarpaceae
What it is like
A large tree. It grows 25 m tall. The trunk can be 60 cm across. It has small buttresses. The leaves are narrowly oval to oblong and 18-40 cm long by 8-22 cm wide. They are thickly leathery with 10-14 pairs of secondary veins. It flowers and fruits annually. The flowers are deep pink in the axils of leaves or at the ends of the branches. The fruit are oval nuts. There are 3 long calyx lobes that are spoon shaped and 7.5 cm long by 2 cm wide and then 2 shorter lobes.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in poorly drained sandy soils at low elevations. It can be in seasonally flooded sandy river banks and lowland forests.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, SE Asia
How it is used for food
The nuts are the source of a fat sometimes called illipe butter and used as a substitute for cocoa butter in the production of chocolate.
It is cultivated.
Edible parts
Seeds - oil
How it is grown
Plants can be grown from seeds or stem cuttings.
Its other names
Local names
Engkabang kerangas, Engkabang rusa, Pohon tengkawang tungkul