Terminalia samoensis

Rechinger

Talie

Combretaceae Edible: Nuts, Fruit 16 iNaturalist observations

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iNaturalist· cc-by

Description

A small tree. It grows 5-20 m tall. Plants can be stunted in windy places. Young plant parts can have hairs. The leaves are clustered at the ends of the twigs. The leaf stalks are 1-2 cm long. The leaves are rounded but oval. They are 9-16 cm long by 6-13 cm wide. The tip is rounded. They taper slightly to a rounded base. The flowers are 5-6 mm long. The fruit are flattened and green when young. They become red and fleshy when ripe. They are 2-2.5 cm long by 1-1.5 cm wide. There are 6 fruit is a cluster. The kernels are small and edible.

Edible Uses

Like its cousin, the tropical beach almond (Terminalia catappa), the fruits (does this include the seeds?) are edible, however due to their smaller size, they are not commonly consumed.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows on coral coasts on islands in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. It is often in exposed locations.

Where It Grows

American Samoa, Chuuk, FSM, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Indonesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Pacific, Palau, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Pohnpei, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Yap,

Cultivation

The fruits are probably water-borne.

Other Uses

The wood of this tree is used for traditional carvings throughout its range.

Other Information

The fruit is eaten especially by children.

Notes

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

Synonyms

Terminalia saffordii Merr.

Also Known As

Chesemiich, Ekkon, Khin, Khun, Kil, Kon, Kukon, Te ukin

References (9)

Coode, M.J.E., in Womersley, J.S., (Ed.) Handbooks of the Flora of Papua New Guinea. Vol. 1. p 100
http://www.ntbg.org/plants/plant details.php
Lebot, V. & Sam, C., Green desert or ‘all you can eat’? How diverse and edible was the flora of Vanuatu before human introductions?. Terra australis 52 p 410
Stone, B.,
Thaman, R. R., 1987, Plants of Kiribati: A listing and analysis of vernacular names. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 296

Show all 9 references

Thaman, R. R, 2016, The flora of Tuvalu. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 611. Smithsonian Institute p 78
Walter, A & Sam, C., 1995, Indigenous Nut Trees in Vanuatu: Ethnobotany and Variability. In South Pacific Indigenous Nuts. ACIAR Proceedings No 69. Canberra. p 57
Walter, A. & Sam C., 2002, Fruits of Oceania. ACIAR Monograph No. 85. Canberra. p 254, 281
www.manoa.hawaii.edu/botany/plants of micronesia