Mala adoa
Haplolobus floribundus

Family: Burseraceae

What it is like

Medium to large trees that develop short medium round buttresses. The tree can vary between 5 and 24 m high. The trunk can be 60 cm across. The bark is covered with small growths but is not rough to touch. The bark smells like green mangoes and when cut oozes pale white latex. The leaves occur on opposite sides along the stalk. The leaflets are hairy on the underside. There is no stipules or leafy structure at the base of the leaf stalk which helps distinguish them from closely related Canariums. Male and female flower parts are on separate flowering stalks. These flowers occur among the leaves not at the very tips. The flowers are small and white and have a smell. The fruit are thinned walled. Fruit range from 2-5 cm and mostly oval with a sharp tip.

Probably subsp. salomonensis in Solomons. Pigs chew the bark near the base of the tree.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It occurs on Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands. In Fiji it grows between 90 and 850 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

East Timor, Fiji, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu

How it is used for food

The fruit are boiled for about 5 minutes, then the flesh is eaten. The seeds are soaked for some weeks to remove toxicity, then cooked.

The nut is an important traditional food on Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, nuts

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Gemugi, Kaunigai, Maramara ngari, Ngeemungi

Synonyms

Haplolobus salomonensis C.T.White; Canarium aneityense Gillaumin; Haplolobus aneityensis (Gillaumin) Husson; Canarium furfuraceum Laut.;