Terminalia calamansanai

(Blanco) Rolfe

Philippine almond tree, Yellow terminalia tree

Combretaceae Edible: Fruit, Seed, Nut 353 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Terminalia calamansanai, also spelled Terminalia calamansanay (unresolved name), is a species of plant in the family Combretaceae. It has a large range in SE Asia, from Bangladesh to New Guinea.

Description

A large tree. It grows up to 40 m tall. The tree has plank like buttresses which extend 10 m up the trunk. The small branches are often grouped in rings and thickened where they branch. The young tips of branches are ridged. The leaves are crowded near the ends of twigs and leave scars after they fall off. The leaves are hard and stiff. The leaves are oval and 8.5-16 cm long and 4-8 cm wide. They taper towards the base. Flowers are yellowish green to brown and easily fall off. They are very small. The fruit is flattened and has very broad wings. The fruit is more broad than long. It is 2-5 cm wide and 1-2 cm long. The fruit is dry and does not burst open. The seeds are brownish yellow and covered with fine short hairs and two wings up to 4 cm wide and less than 1 cm long.

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten raw, and the seeds are eaten either raw or cooked.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten raw. The seeds are eaten raw or cooked.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The bark is astringent and lithotriptic. It is used both internally and externally.

Distribution

A tropical plant. Occurs occasionally in most areas of the Philippines amongst trees near the sea. It grows in areas with a dry season and at low altitudes.

Where It Grows

Asia, Cambodia, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Vietnam,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Other Uses

The heartwood is whitish when freshly cut, becoming grayish yellow upon exposure; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is rather coarse in appearance, but smooth; the grain is often finely wavy or curly, with a distinct figure formed by concentric bands of soft tissue. The wood is moderately heavy to heavy; moderately hard; not very durable and often attacked by shot-hole beetles. It is used for foundation piles, cheap or temporary construction; cheap furniture; paving blocks, ties, mine timbers; it is seldom sawn into lumber or used for construction because it is not durable. The tree is wind-firm.

Notes

There are about 200-250 Terminalia species. They are tropical.

Synonyms

Coode, M.J.E., in Womersley, J.S., (Ed), 1978, Handbooks of the Flora of Papua New Guinea. Melbourne University Press. Vol 1. p 67 Ferns, K., Useful Tropical Plants. Flora of Solomon Islands Foreman, D. B., 1971, A checklist of the Vascular Plants of Bougainville with Descriptions of some Common Forest Trees. Botany Bulletin No. 5. Department of Botany. p 168 French, B.R., 2010, Food Plants of Solomon Islands. A Compendium. Food Plants International Inc. p 183 Gardner, S., et al, 2000, A Field Guide to Forest Trees of Northern Thailand, Kobfai Publishing Project. p 190 J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 21:310. 1884 Kachenchart, B., et al, 2008, Phenology of Edible Plants at Sakaerat Forest. In Proceedings of the FORTROP II: Tropical Forestry Change in a Changing World. Bangkok, Thailand. Monsalud, M.R., Tongacan, A.L., Lopez, F.R., & Lagrimas, M.Q., 1966, Edible Wild Plants in Philippine Forests. Philippine Journal of Science. p 452 Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 545 World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew