Dipterocarpus zeylanicus (Hora)
Peradeniya Botanical Gardens near Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Dipterocarpus is a genus of flowering plants and the type genus of family Dipterocarpaceae.
Dipterocarpus is the third-largest and most diverse genus among the Dipterocarpaceae. The species are well known for timber, but less acknowledged for use in traditional herbal medicine. The genus has about 70 species, occurring in South Asia and Southeast Asia, from Sri Lanka and India to the Philippines. It is an important component of dipterocarp forests. Its generic name comes from Greek and means "two-winged fruits".
Dipterocarpus zeylanicus, commonly known as හොර - Hora in Sinhalese and සරල - Sarala or කිරිපලු - Kiripalu, is a species of Dipterocarpus that is endemic to Sri Lanka.
D. zeylanicus can be found in moist low country like Ratnapura, Kaluthara, Galle and Matara Districts and also in the Sinharaja rain forest. The tallest trees of Hora in Sri Lanka are found in Udakiruwa village in Lunugala and are under great threat of legal/illegal felling.
There are many place names which begin with the name of the Hora tree. Even Tamil place names like Norochcholai (where a controversial coal power plant in Sri Lanka is located) is said to refer to a clump of Hora trees - i.e., "Horagolla" in Sinhalese.
Dipterocarpus zeylanicus (Hora)
Peradeniya Botanical Gardens near Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Dipterocarpus is a genus of flowering plants and the type genus of family Dipterocarpaceae.
Dipterocarpus is the third-largest and most diverse genus among the Dipterocarpaceae. The species are well known for timber, but less acknowledged for use in traditional herbal medicine. The genus has about 70 species, occurring in South Asia and Southeast Asia, from Sri Lanka and India to the Philippines. It is an important component of dipterocarp forests. Its generic name comes from Greek and means "two-winged fruits".
Dipterocarpus zeylanicus, commonly known as හොර - Hora in Sinhalese and සරල - Sarala or කිරිපලු - Kiripalu, is a species of Dipterocarpus that is endemic to Sri Lanka.
D. zeylanicus can be found in moist low country like Ratnapura, Kaluthara, Galle and Matara Districts and also in the Sinharaja rain forest. The tallest trees of Hora in Sri Lanka are found in Udakiruwa village in Lunugala and are under great threat of legal/illegal felling.
There are many place names which begin with the name of the Hora tree. Even Tamil place names like Norochcholai (where a controversial coal power plant in Sri Lanka is located) is said to refer to a clump of Hora trees - i.e., "Horagolla" in Sinhalese.