Galo Nut, Kopi gunung, Tangki leuweung, Belian landak.
Anacolosa frutescens

Family: Olacaceae

What it is like

Anacolosa frutescens or commonly known as Galo is a tropical tree of up to 5 - 25 m tall that is found in the Philippines and in other South East Asian countries. Its leaves are pointed at both ends and in an alternate arrangement. The small flowers, which are in small clusters, are yellow in color. The fruit is a drupe, fleshy with a stone inside, and is yellow to orange in color. Both seed and fruit are edible - eaten raw or cooked. The nuts are thin-shelled and have good flavour and quality. Wood is hard and heavy but not durable and commonly used for house posts. The plant is grown from seed, air-layering, or cleft grafting. It has slow germination and early growth rate. It is also known as Galo nut, Kopi gunung, Tangki leuweung, Belian landak.

Anacolosa frutescens is an evergreen Tree growing to 15 m (49ft) by 15 m (49ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 15

Where it is found

Lowland and submontane forest, mixed Dipterocarp forest, by streams in kerangas forest, sometimes in peat swamp forest and secondary forest, occasionally on limestone, from sea-level to 700 metres, rarely to 1,400 metres.

Southeastern Asia - Myanmar, through Malaysia to Indonesia and the Philippines.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Countries/locations it is found in

Found In: Andamans, Asia, Burma, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Thailand .

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Edible portion: Nut, Fruit, Seeds. Seed - raw or cooked. The thin-shelled nuts are of good flavour and quality, they are said to have the flavour of a mixture of sweet corn and chestnuts. They contain 3.9 - 11.1% protein, 1.8 - 8% fat and 33.4 - 39'5% carbohydrate. Fruit - raw or cooked. Young fruits are delicious when boiled. The pulp of mature fruits can be eaten cooked. The yellow or orange fruit is a drupe, 15 - 25mm long, 12 - 20mm in diameter with a thin layer of pulp up to 6mm thick surrounding a single seed.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 2

Other uses rating: Low (2/5). Other Uses: The pale, reddish-brown wood is hard and heavy, but not durable. It is used for house posts.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

A plant of the moist tropical lowlands, usually growing at elevations up to 700 metres, exceptionally to 1,400 metres. It prefers a climate without a pronounced dry season. Prefers a position with some shade. The trees appear to be highly variable, with some high-yielding forms having been noted. Seedlings grow slowly, taking about a year to reach grafting size. Germination and early growth is slow. A mature fruit weighs 8-16 g. A kernel weighs 0.8-2.8 g.

Propagating it: Seed - germination takes more than 100 days. Cleft-grafting onto seedlings 1 year old or more is highly successful. Air layering. Takes about 4 months.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Full shade, semi-shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Galo Nut, Kopi gunung, Tangki leuweung, Belian landak.

Synonyms

Anacolosa arborea Koord. & Valeton Anacolosa celebica Valeton ex Koord. Anacolosa heptandra Maingay