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#Fridayfact Dipterocarpaceae are an important plant family in SE Asia, ecological and commercially, and lowland forests in West Malesia are known as ‘MDF’ – mixed dipterocarp forest.
#Fridayfact The family name, from the type genus Dipterocarpus, is derived from Greek (di = two, pteron = wing and karpos = fruit) and refers to the two-winged fruit. But not all dipterocarps have two wings.
#Fridayfact Some dipterocarps don't have any wings, revealing the 'winged fruit' is actually a nut - Vatica rassak is a good example, but 'wingless' fruits are found in other genera too.
There are 17 genera with c. 680 species, with the 'monotoids' in Africa and America (24 spp.) and the 'dipterocarpoids' from the Seychelles to New Guinea (the other c. 650 spp.) with the richest area in northern Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei).
The largest tropical tree in the world is a dipterocarp in Sabah – Shorea faguetiana, at 100.8 m, and has been named “Menara,” Malay for “tower.” https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/worlds-tallest-tropical-tree-discovered-climbed-borneo/ via @NatGeo
