Lumpung
Terminalia pterocarya
Family: Combretaceae
What it is like
A shrub or small tree. It grows 3-7 m tall. It loses its leaves during the year. The bark is dark and with slits along its length. The leaves are arranged in spirals. They are oval but taper towards the base. The leaf is 1.5-5.5 cm long by 0.6-3 cm wide. They are light green and have a rounded or indented tip. The leaf stalk is usually hairy and is 0.3-1.4 cm long. The flowers are cream and have a scent. They are in fairly dense spikes 3-5 cm long in the axils of leaves near the ends of small branches. The fruit are oval, smooth and dry. They have a wing around them. They fruit are 2-3.5 cm long by 1-2 cm wide and light green. They have a single seeded woody shell.
There are about 200-250 Terminalia species. They are tropical.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. Plants grow in open woodland on poor red soils in northern Australia. They also occur on sandy soils near streams.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia (country/location of origin)
How it is used for food
The gum is eaten.
Edible parts
Gum
How it is grown
Plants are grown from seed.
It Australia flowering occurs November to May and fruiting February to June.