''Hopea odorata'', or ta-khian ( th, ตะเคียน), is a species of
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 ...
. It is found in
Bangladesh,
Cambodia,
India,
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
,
Malaysia,
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
,
Thailand, and
Vietnam.
It is a large tree reaching up to 45 m in height with the base of the trunk reaching a diameter of 4.5 m. It grows in forests, preferably near rivers, at altitudes between 0 and 600m. In places such as
West Bengal and the
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...
it is often planted as a
shade tree. Valued for its wood, it is a
threatened species in its natural habitat.
Traditions
In Thailand this tree is believed to be inhabited by a certain
tree spirit known as
Lady Ta-khian ( th, นางตะเคียน), belonging to a type of ghosts related to trees known generically as ''
Nang Mai'' (นางไม้).
Spirits
/ref>
Gallery
File:A leaf of Hopea odorata.jpg, A leaf of ''Hopea odorata''
File:Takian77.JPG, 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
File:Nang Takhian1cXRF.jpg, Nang Ta-khian
File:Hopea odorata Sao den.JPG, ''Hopea odorata'' at Hùng Temple, Vietnam
References
External links
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Hopea odorata Roxb.Buddha Magic Thai Beliefs in the Nang Ta-Khian Tree Spirit within Hopea Odorata trees
odorata
Vulnerable plants
Trees of Bangladesh
Flora of Indo-China
Trees of Peninsular Malaysia
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Dipterocarpaceae-stub