China chestnut, Seven sister's fruit
Sterculia monosperma

Family: Malvaceae

What it is like

A small tree. It is in the same family as cocoa. The tree is always green. It grows to 10-30 m tall. The main stem is short but with many branches. The young branches are hairy. The leaves are at the tips of the shoots. The leaves are large and leathery. They are 12.5-22.5 cm long by 7.5-12.5 cm wide. Both male and female flowers occur on the same tree. The flowers are pinkish and about 1.2 cm across. They are in drooping panicles. The flowers occur at the ends of branches. The fruit are pods that change from green to red as they ripen. There are usually 3-5 pods in a group. The pods are covered with fine soft hairs. The pods are 7.5-10 cm long and 5 cm wide. The pods split open showing the seeds. There are 1-3 seeds. The seeds are 2.5-5 cm long and 1.2-2.5 cm wide. The seeds are black, shiny and sticky.

Also put in the family Sterculiaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It suits the hot, wet tropical lowlands. It is native to S China. The tree occurs mostly in the state of Perak in Malaysia.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, SE Asia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand

How it is used for food

The seeds are boiled and eaten.

It is sometimes cultivated.

Edible parts

Seeds, nut

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

In Thailand it flowers and fruits October to April.

Its other names

Local names

Pheng phok, Pingpo, Noble bottle tree

Synonyms

Sterculia monosperma var. monosperma; Sterculia nobilis Sm.;