genus of plants in the family Dipterocarpaceae, comprising about 360 species of tall South Asian evergreen trees that are extremely valuable for their timber. Sal (S. robusta) is perhaps the second most important timber tree (after teak) in the Indian subcontinent. The timbers are of two main types, white and red meranti. Sal and S. talura are also grown for the culture of lac scale insects that produce the resin used in shellac. S. macrophylla produces illipe nuts, which contain a fat used as a substitute for cocoa butter. Along with a few other species, dumala (S. oblongifolia), a very large tree, yields dammar resin, which has various uses, including as varnish and incense.