Pimelodendron amboinicum

(Miq.) Hassk.

Mamina tree

Euphorbiaceae Edible: Seeds 8 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Pimelodendron amboinicum is a tree species in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is found from the Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific, west to Sulawesi in Indonesia. The timber is used locally, though larger-scale illegal logging is apparent.

Description

A tree. It grows to 10-20 m high. It spreads 5-15 m across. The trunk is 50 cm across. The sap is milky. It hardens and turns bright yellow. The bark is smooth and light brown. It is 0.8 cm thick. The leaf stalks have 2 prominent swollen glands neat the leaf end. The leaves are alternate. The leaves are 8-15 cm long by 6-12 cm wide. They are oval and crowded towards the ends of the small branches. The edges of the leaves are slightly wavy. The leaves are dark green and they taper to the tip. The flowers are in groups which are 2-5 cm long. They occur in clusters in the axils of leaves or from the old wood. The flowers are yellow and 0.3 cm across. The flowers are of one sex and without petals. The fruit are 1.5-2 cm across. They are round or pear shaped and pink or red. There is one large seed.

Edible Uses

The seeds are eaten and taste like hazelnuts.

Traditional Uses

The seeds are eaten and taste like hazel nuts.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The bark is purgative.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in lowland rainforests. In Papua New Guinea it grows up to 800 m altitude. It can be near rivers and on the edge of swamp forest.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, SE Asia, Solomon Islands,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from fresh seed.

Other Uses

A milky fluid obtained from the trunk is used as a water-resistant varnish for paintings. When mixed with the juice of Alstonia scholaris, it is used as a varnish on wood. The tree is cut for the sap, which congeals and is used ffor glueing or cementing wooden articles together The white wood is used, but no details are available.

Notes

There are 5-8 Pimeleodendron species.

Synonyms

Daphniphyllum amboinicum Hassk.Pimelodendron papuanum Warb.

Also Known As

Pamum, Pohon daso-daso, Pohon mamina, Pokopoker

References (13)

Borrell, O.W., 1989, An Annotated Checklist of the Flora of Kairiru Island, New Guinea. Marcellin College, Victoria Australia. p 79, 189
Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 1756
Cooper, W. and Cooper, W., 2004, Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Nokomis Editions, Victoria, Australia. p 196
Elliot, W.R., & Jones, D.L., 1997, Encyclopedia of Australian Plants suitable for cultivation. Vol 7. Lothian. p 329
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 152

Show all 13 references

French, B.R., 2010, Food Plants of Solomon Islands. A Compendium. Food Plants International Inc. p 363
Havel, J.J., 1975, Forest Botany, Volume 3 Part 2 Botanical taxonomy. Papua New Guinea Department of Forests, p 145
Johns, R.J., 1976, Common Forest Trees of Papua New Guinea. Part 5 Angiospermae, Forestry College Bulolo, PNG p 228 (Drawing)
Menninger, E.A., 1977, Edible Nuts of the World. Horticultural Books. Florida p 52
Sosef, M. S. M., Hong, L. T., & Prawirohatmodjo, S. (Eds.), 1998, Timber tree: Lesser-known timbers. Plant Resources of South-East Asia, 5(3), p 446
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 447
Wickens, G.E., 1995, Edible Nuts. FAO Non-wood forest products. FAO, Rome. p 122
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew