Palaquium amboinense

Burck

Gutta-percha tree

Sapotaceae Edible: Seeds

gbif· cc0

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

gbif· cc0

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

gbif· cc-by

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Description

A large tree. It grows 40 m tall. The trunk can be 60 cm across. The bark is reddish-brown and rough. It has white milky sap. The leaves are simple and arranged in spirals. They are 7-16 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. They are more pale underneath. The flowering shoots are in the axils of leaves. There are 1-6 flowers in a group and they are 4-6 mm long and can be white, yellow or pale green. The fruit is a fleshy berry. It occurs singly and is 4-5 cmlong. It is red to brown. There is one seed in a fruit and it is 1-10 mm across.

Edible Uses

The seeds are edible.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in lowland forests and up to 900 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Asia, Indonesia*, Papua New Guinea, PNG, SE Asia,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown by seeds.

Other Uses

A fatty oil obtained from the seeds is used for illumination. The wood is used for furniture and structural work.

Notes

There are about 120 Palaquium species. They occur in Asia and the Pacific.

Synonyms

Palaquium javense Burck

Also Known As

Pohon getah perca

References (6)

Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg 5:37. 1886
Menninger, E.A., 1977, Edible Nuts of the World. Horticultural Books. Florida p 32 (As Palaquium javense)
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 427
Triono, T., et al, 2007, A phylogeny of Pouteria (Sapotaceae) from Malesia and Australasia. Australian. Systematic Botany. 20:107-118
Wickens, G.E., 1995, Edible Nuts. FAO Non-wood forest products. FAO, Rome. p152

Show all 6 references