Chinese black olive
Canarium pimela

Family: Burseraceae

What it is like

A large tree. It grows 8-15 m tall but can grow 30 m tall. The trunk is 1.5 m across. The trunk is straight and it branches high up. The bark is brown with black sap. The leaves are unequal. The leaflets are long and oval. They are 6-12 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. They are shiny above and dark coloured underneath. There are 8-10 pairs of side veins. The leaf shape of seedlings varies. The leaves have 4-6 pairs of leaflets. The flower clusters are branched. The flowering stalks are 8-35 cm long with 1-4 fruit on long stalks. The flowers are white. The fruit are narrowly oval and fleshy. They are 3-4 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. There are 3 unequal cells. The fruit are dark reddish blue to black when ripe. They contain 1 or 2 seeds.

There are 80-95 Canarium species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in dense forests. In Yunnan, China it grows between 600-1300 m altitude. They occur in northern Vietnam mostly below 500 m altitude. The tree needs plenty of light. It prefers a deep humid soil. It mostly grows on steep land.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, SE Asia, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit are edible. Fruit are eaten fresh or crystallised. They are sometimes pickled. The stone is removed. The seed contains an edible oil.

It is a cultivated food plant. The fruit are highly esteemed.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds - oil

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds.

The tree is fast growing. Flowering occurs in April-May and fruiting in October-December.

Its other names

Local names

Bai, Blaam, Bui, Cana, Ka-na, Kanna, Si mo a si, Tram-den, Ximo

Synonyms

Canarium nigrum (Lour.) Engl. [Illegitimate]; Canarium pimeloides Govaerts [Illegitimae]; Canarium tramdenum C. D. Dai & Yakovlev; Chirita nigrum (Lour.) Engl.; Lipara nigra Lour. ex Gomes Mach.; Pimela nigra Lour.;