Telshur or White thingan, Hopea odorata

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Telshur or White thingan (Hopea odorata, family: Dipterocarpaceae) is a large semi-deciduous tree with straight trumk, usually 25-30 m high. Telshur is a good timber tree of forest, found in Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet. The tree is native to South and Southeast Asia.


Flowers are small, fragrant, greyish white on terminal uniperous raceme. 


Leaves are oblong-lanceolate with heavy and undulated margin on weak stalk; 7-10 cm long and 3-4 cm wide.


This beautiful vigorous tree has been everywhere in Bangladesh along the roadside as a shade tree. Fruit is nut, two-winged, 4 cm long. 


The tree is important for timber, suitable for building construction. Its bark exudes tannin, which can be used for tanning leathers. Resin can be extracted from the tree.

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