Black pine
Sundacarpus amarus

Family: Podocarpaceae

What it is like

A large tree. It grows 20-40 m tall. The trunk is 1 m across. The crown breaks up into large branches. The young bark is grey and becomes darker with age. It peels off in irregular flakes. The leaves are silvery green. The leaves are alternate and narrow. The leaves are simple and 5-16 cm long. They are smooth. They taper to the tip. They are thin and tough. Male and female flowers are on separate plants. The fruit is a naked seed on a long stalk. It is orange-red. The fruit are 25-35 mm long by 25-30 mm wide. They occur singly or in bunches in the axils of leaves and on the ends of branches. It has a hard brown coat and a thin fleshy layer. The broken shell smells of sweet pine. There is one seed 20-25 mm across and round. The kernel of the seed is edible after prolonged processing.

There is only one Sundacarpus species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in mountains between 650-2300 m altitude. It occurs in tropical rainforest in highland regions. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. Arboretum Tasmania.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Malesia, Myanmar, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The seed is eaten after roasting, crushing and washing.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Pinus hitam, Pinus merak

Synonyms

Podocarpus amarus Blume; Podocarpus pedunculatus F. M. Bailey; Prumnopitys amara (Blume) de Laub.; Stachycarpus amarus (Blume) Gaussen;