''Dryobalanops aromatica'', commonly known as Borneo camphor, camphor tree, Malay camphor, or Sumatran camphor, is a species of critically endangered plant in the family

Dipterocarpaceae Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 16 genera and about 695 known species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus ''Dipterocarpus'', is derived from Greek (''di'' = two, ''pteron'' = wing and ''karpos'' = fru ...

. The species name ''aromatica'' is derived from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

(''aromaticus'' meaning spice-like) and refers to the smell of the

dammar Dammar, also called dammar gum, or damar gum, is a resin obtained from the tree family Dipterocarpaceae in India and Southeast Asia, principally those of the genera '' Shorea'' or '' Hopea'' (synonym ''Balanocarpus''). The resin of some species ...

(resin). This species was one of the main sources of

camphor Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel ('' Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the k ...

and attracted early Arab traders to Borneo, at that time being worth more than gold, and used for incense and perfumes. It is found in Sumatra, peninsular Malaysia, and Borneo. It is a large emergent tree, up to 65 m or even 75 m tall, found in mixed dipterocarp forests on deep humic yellow sandy soils. It is a heavy hardwood sold under the trade names of Kapur. It is recorded from at least two protected areas ( Lambir and

Gunung Mulu Mount Mulu ( ms, Gunung Mulu) is a sandstone and shale mountain. At 2376 m, it is the second highest mountain in the state of Sarawak, after Mount Murud. It is located within the boundaries of Gunung Mulu National Park, which is named after ...

National Parks).

Bergenin Bergenin, alias cuscutin, is trihydroxybenzoic acid glycoside. It is the C-glycoside of 4-O-methyl gallic acid. It possesses an O-demethylated derivative called norbergenin. These are chemical compounds and drugs of Ayurveda, commonly known as P ...

, malaysianol A, laevifonol,

ampelopsin E Ampelopsin, also known as dihydromyricetin and DHM, when purported as an effective ingredient in supplements and other tonics, is a flavanonol, a type of flavonoid. It is extracted from the Japanese raisin tree and found in '' Ampelopsis'' species ...

α-viniferin α-Viniferin is a stilbene trimer. It can be isolated from '' Caragana chamlagu'' and from '' Caragana sinica'' and from the stem bark of ''Dryobalanops aromatica''. It is also present in relation to resistance to ''Botrytis cinerea'' and ''Plasm ...

, ε-viniferin and

diptoindonesin A Diptoindonesin A is a C- glucoside of ε-viniferin isolated from the two Dipterocarpaceae '' Shorea seminis'' and ''Dryobalanops aromatica ''Dryobalanops aromatica'', commonly known as Borneo camphor, camphor tree, Malay camphor, or Sumatran c ...

can be isolated from the stem bark of ''D. aromatica''. ''Dryobalanops aromatica'' is one of several tree species known to exhibit a behavior called

crown shyness Crown shyness (also ''canopy disengagement'', ''canopy shyness'', or ''inter-crown spacing'') is a phenomenon observed in some tree species, in which the crowns of fully stocked trees do not touch each other, forming a canopy with channel-like ...

References

aromatica Trees of Sumatra Trees of Peninsular Malaysia Trees of Borneo Flora of Sabah Critically endangered flora of Asia {{Dipterocarpaceae-stub