A review of dipterocarps - Center for International Forestry Research

Biogeography and Evolutionary Systematics of Dipterocarpaceae
These features group together the living and fossil
dipterocarps which have lived together in the same
phytogeographical areas (Table 5). They also correspond
to the subsequent hypothesis concerning their potential
for differentiation (see above). They also suggest an
eventual remote relation from Anthoshorea to
Marquesia and then to Monotes.
In the Valvate division the Dipterocarpinae group
underlines the relations between the 2 subgroups: 1)
Dryobalanops, and 2) Dipterocarpus with Anisoptera.
Similarly the Vaticinae group emphasises the
existence of 5 subgroups:
1. Upuna alone but near subgroup 2;
2. Cotylelobium close to Sunaptea;
3. Vatica pro-parte intermediate between groups 1 and
2, and 4 and 5;
4. Stemonoporus position between subgroups 2 and 5;
5. Vateria, and Vateriopsis with particular similarities
(cotyledon position and shape, germination type) with
Vatica and also Anisoptera, Stemonoporus and
Cotylelobium.
Vatica genus (excluding Sunaptea) stands somewhat
isolated within the family Dipterocarpaceae by the pollen
characters principally, and much less so by some aspects
of embryo shape and structure (particularly seedling
vascular structure). As mentioned, the tilioid surface of
the pollen exine could suggest a proximity with
monotoid taxa, however, its structure is definitely
different (Maury et al. 1975a, b). New investigations are
needed on a great number of species of Vatica genus
sensu lato (including Sunaptea and Pachynocarpus) to
permit a clearer view on infra-generic variation of these
characters.
Main lines of Kostermans’ classification (See also
Tables 1, 2)
Kostermans has mainly considered the Sri Lankan taxa
so that, as in Meijer’s work, only the Asian genera
represented in this geographical area were analysed in
detail. Contrary to Maury-Lechon’s work he formally
described the Monotaceae family, as well as genera
Doona and Sunaptea (the latter including
Cotylelobium). No publication remains on his views
concerning the affinities of the genera inside his
Dipterocarpaceae family, nor in eventual sections within
the Shorea genus which includes Pentacme (Kostermans
1992). In Stemonoporus he suggests 2 sub-divisions
based on the pericarp aperture at germination (character
used in Maury 1978 and Maury-Lechon 1979a, b).
Taxonomical levels
Family (2):
Monotaceae (3 genera): Pakaraimaea,
Marquesia, Monotes
Dipterocarpaceae (15 genera): Hopea,
Neobalanocarpus, Balanocarpus, Shorea,
Doona, Parashorea, Dipterocarpus,
Anisoptera, Dryobalanops, Upuna,
Sunaptea (Cotylelobium included), Vatica,
Stemonoporus, Vateria, Vateriopsis
33
Main Recent Taxonomic Changes:
They successively concerned the:
1. establishment of subgenera Shorea, Anthoshorea,
Richetia and Rubroshorea (Meijer 1963, Meijer and
Wood 1964);
2. establishment of 11 sections in genus Shorea including
the previous genera Doona and Pentacme (Ashton
1964, 1968, 1980, 1982);
3. proposition to re-install some ancient genera such
as Doona Thw., Anthoshorea Heim and Richetia
Heim outside genus Shorea Gaertn., Sunaptea Griff.
outside genus Vatica and Vateriopsis Heim out of
genus Vateria L. (Maury 1978, Maury-Lechon
1979a, b);
4. acceptance of the re-establishment of Vateriopsis
genus by Ashton (1982);
5. announcement of the discovery and description of
Pakaraimaea (Maguire 1979, Maguire and Ashton
1980, Maguire and Steyermark 1981);
6. formal re-establishment of genus Doona Thw. outside
Shorea (Kostermans 1984), genus
Banalocarpus Beddome outside Hopea and independent
from Neobalanocarpus (Kostermans
1981a) genus Sunaptea outside genus Vatica but including
genus Cotylelobium (Kostermans 1987); and
7. discovery and description of Pseudomonotes
tropenbosii (Londoño et al. 1995) which is included
in Monotoideae sensu Maguire et al. (1977) close
to the African Monotes and Marquesia.
Discussion and Conclusions
Morphology, as well as anatomy and ecophysiology,
shows many characters tightly related to their biological
functions, and these functions are connected to both the
biotic associations and the climatic environmental
features which influence flower pollination, seed