Hopea odorata

Hopea odorata
Leaves of Hopea odorata
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Dipterocarpaceae
Genus:	Hopea
Species:	H. odorata
Binomial name
Hopea odorata Roxb.
Synonyms
List Hopea vasta Wall. nom. inval. Hopea wightiana Miq. ex Dyer nom. inval.

Hopea odorata is a species of tree in the plant family Dipterocarpaceae. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Description

H. odorata is a large tree reaching up to 45 m (150 ft) in height with the base of the trunk reaching a diameter of 4.5 m (15 ft). It grows in forests, preferably near rivers, at elevations to 600 m (2,000 ft). In places such as West Bengal, the Andaman Islands and southern Vietnam it is often planted as a shade tree. Valued for its wood, which shows resistance to termites, it is a threatened species in its natural habitat.

Traditions

In Thailand, where it is known as ta-khian (Thai: ตะเคียน), this tree is believed to be inhabited by a certain tree spirit known as Lady Ta-khian (Thai: นางตะเคียน), belonging to a type of ghosts related to trees known generically as Nang Mai (นางไม้).

Gallery

• 
  A leaf of Hopea odorata
• 
  Lengths of brocade tied around the exposed roots of a Hopea odorata tree (ตะเคียน) growing on a steep slope as an offering to Nang Ta-khian
• 
  Nang Ta-khian
• 
  Hopea odorata at Hùng Temple, Vietnam

External links

• Media related to Hopea odorata at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Hopea odorata at Wikispecies
• Hopea odorata Roxb.
• Buddha Magic Thai Beliefs in the Nang Ta-Khian Tree Spirit within Hopea Odorata trees
• Nang Ta-khian image at Suankularb Wittayalai Nonthaburi School