Aitabage
Terminalia whitmorei
Family: Combretaceae
What it is like
A medium sized tree. It grows to 20 m tall. The twigs have leaf scars close together on them. The young plant parts are densely hairy. The leaves are tightly clustered near the tips of twigs. The leaf stalks are thick and up to 1 cm long. The leaf blade is 12-20 cm long by 6-9 cm wide. The leaf tapers towards the base. The tip is pointed. The flowers are small. The fruit are flattened and oval. Young fruit have thin wide wings. The mature fruit is oval, red and fleshy. They are 4 cm long by 3 cm wide.
There are about 200-250 Terminalia species. They are tropical.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It occurs at low altitudes on coral slopes in the Solomon Islands. It occurs naturally on Santa Isabel and the Guadalcanal group of islands in the Solomon Islands. It is growing in the Fairchild Botanical Gardens in the USA.
Countries/locations it is found in
North America, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, USA
How it is used for food
The fruit are eaten raw or roasted. The seeds are eaten with coconut and fish. They need to be processed to remove toxins.
Edible parts
Nuts