Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra25271894roya).pdf/255

 The Camphor Tree and Camphor Language of Johore.

The Bornean Camphor, Kapur Barus, is an important product of the islands of Borneo and Sumatra and although for some time time it has been known that the tree producing it (Dryobalanops aromatica, Gaertn) is a native of the Indau district of Johore, the fact has not been recorded in any botanical work. During the recent expedition across Johore, the account of which is also published in this Journal, Messrs. Lake and Kelsall not only obtained specimens of the tree, but collected also as much as possible of the Camphor language used by the Jakuns while on the search for the camphor. The following notes on the history of the product may be of interest to, and may serve as an introduction to, the list of vocabulary.

Dryobalanops aromatica, Gaertn, D. camphora Colebr is a lofty tree belonging to the order Dipterocarpeæ, an order well known as producing most of the resins known as Damars. The stem is about 3 1/2 feet in diameter at the base, and from 100 to 150 feet in height, straight and unbranched till near the top, where it forms a large crown of branches; at the base it often throws out large buttresses. The bark is rough and of a dark brown colour, and is used for making walls of huts, etc. The wood is dark brown, very resinous and strongly aromatic. It is much used in Borneo for building. Like most Dipterocarps it appears to be a tree of very slow growth.

The tree is a native of North Borneo, Labuan, North-West Sumatra, and on the Madek and Kahang rivers in Johore, but there is no record of it from any other part of the Malay Peninsula. It yields two distinct products. Borneo camphor (Kapur barus), and Camphor oil (S'mp'loh kapur in the camphor language.) Minyak Kapur, in Malay Barus, is the name of a locality in Sumatra where for many centuries the camphor has been obtained.