Gonystylus

This article is about ramin, the hardwood. For other uses, see Ramin (disambiguation).

Gonystylus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Thymelaeaceae
Genus:	Gonystylus Teijsmann & Binnendijk
Species
About 30, including: Gonystylus affinis Gonystylus bancanus Gonystylus calophylloides Gonystylus confusus Gonystylus consanguineus Gonystylus costalis Gonystylus decipiens Gonystylus forbesii Gonystylus glaucescens Gonystylus keithii Gonystylus lucidulus Gonystylus macrophyllus Gonystylus maingayi Gonystylus miquelianus Gonystylus nervosus Gonystylus nobilis Gonystylus pendulus Gonystylus spectabilis Gonystylus stenosepalus Gonystylus velutinus Gonystylus xylocarpus

Gonystylus, also known as ramin, is a southeast Asian genus of about 30 species of hardwood trees native to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea, with the highest species diversity on Borneo. Other names include melawis (Malay) and ramin telur (Sarawak).

Ramin is a medium-sized tree, attaining a height of about 24 m (80 ft) with a straight, clear (branch-free), unbuttressed bole about 18 m (60 ft) long and 60 cm (2 ft) in diameter. The trees are slow-growing, occurring mainly in swamp forests.

The white wood, harder and lighter in colour than many other hardwoods, is often used in children's furniture, in window blinds, and for making dowels. However, over-exploitation has led to all species of ramin being listed as endangered species, particularly in Indonesia^{[citation needed]} and Malaysia.^{[citation needed]} An estimated 90% of ramin in recent international trade is illegally logged.^{[citation needed]}

External links

• Species Survival Network factsheet (pdf file)
• CITES