Canarium solomonense

B. L. Burtt

Adoa, Gatoga

Burseraceae Edible: Nuts, Seeds

No photos yet for Canarium solomonense

Description

A large tree up to 30 m high with buttresses at the base. The buttresses are branched. The bark is smooth grey and peels off in thin flakes. The small branches are round in cross section and less than 1 cm across. The wood and bark have a mild pineapple-like smell. The leaves can be 18 to 30 cm long made up of several leaflets but often without a leaflet at the end. The leaf like part (stipule) near the base of the leaf is about 1 cm from where the leaf stalk joins. It is small, ear-shaped and without the toothed edge like in Canarium indicum. The flowers occur on the ends of branches. The male flower clusters have more branches, more flowers and are larger (20-30 cm long) while the female flower clusters are slender, with fewer flowers and are smaller (8-20 cm long). The flowers have short soft hairs but become hairless at maturity. The male flowers are smaller (0.4-0.5 cm long) than the female (0.9-1 cm long). The flowers are pale yellow or light green. The fruit is 3-4 cm long and 1-2 cm across, slightly flattened and purplish black. Normally only one cell of the seed is developed. There are a range of varieties which differ in size, flavour and ease of opening.

Edible Uses

The nuts and seeds are eaten and are sometimes cultivated for nut production, with varieties differing in size, flavor, and ease of opening.

Traditional Uses

The seeds or nuts are eaten (The resin is used for making torches.)

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The resin is used for making torches.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It occurs in North Solomons Province of Papua New Guinea and in the Solomon Islands from sea level up to 500 m or more. It grows in the rainforest and is cultivated near villages.

Where It Grows

Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu,

Cultivation

It grows wild and is cultivated. Plants are grown from seeds.

Production

The nuts have a hard shell and are opened by striking on the side.

Other Information

A minor edible nut. It is sometimes cultivated for its nuts.

Notes

There are 80-95 Canarium species.

Also Known As

Adoa, Afisu, Andoa, Arakao, Gatoga, Khajogha, Maria, Nemba, Solu, Tovinia

References (17)

Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 1984
Barrau, J., 1976, Subsistence Agriculture in Melanesia. Bernice P. Bishop Museu, Bulletin 219 Honolulu Hawaii. Kraus reprint. p 53
Bourke, M., 1995, Edible Indigenous Nuts in Papua New Guinea. In South Pacific Indigenous Nuts. ACIAR Proceedings No 69, Canberra. p 46
Evans, B. R, 1999, Edible nut Trees in Solomon Islands. A variety collection of Canarium, Terminalia and Barringtonia. ACIAR Technical Report No. 44 96pp
French, B.R., 1986, Food Plants of Papua New Guinea, A Compendium. Asia Pacific Science Foundation p 165

Show all 17 references

French, B.R., 2010, Food Plants of Solomon Islands. A Compendium. Food Plants International Inc. p 166
Furusawa, T., et al, 2014, Interaction between forest biodiversity and people's used of forest resources in Roviana, Solomon Islands: implications for biocultural conservation under socioeconomic changes. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 10:10
Henderson, C.P. and I.R.Hancock, 1988, A Guide to the Useful Plants of the Solomon Islands. Res. Dept. Min of Ag. & Lands. Honiara, Solomon Islands. p 68
Leenhouts, P.W., 1955, Burseraceae Flora Malesia Series 1 Volume 5 March 1956 p263
Leenhouts, P.W., Canarium in the Pacific, Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin 216 p 32
Massal, E. and Barrau, J., 1973, Food Plants of the South Sea Islands. SPC Technical Paper No 94. Noumea, New Caledonia. p 32
Menninger, E.A., 1977, Edible Nuts of the World. Horticultural Books. Florida p 27
Powell, J.M., Ethnobotany. In Paijmans, K., 1976, New Guinea Vegetation. Australian National University Press. p 108
Walter, A. & Sam C., 2002, Fruits of Oceania. ACIAR Monograph No. 85. Canberra. p 131, 279
Wickens, G.E., 1995, Edible Nuts. FAO Non-wood forest products. FAO, Rome. p 111
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
www.pngplants.org