Northern Yellow Boxwood, Black Ash, Yellow Teak
Planchonella obovata

Family: Sapotaceae

What it is like

Shrubs or trees which can be up to 40 m tall. The trunk is 50 cm across. The trunk is crooked. It has buttresses. The bark is brown. The small branches are angular. They have rust coloured hairs when young. The leaves are scattered along the twigs. The leaf stalk is 0.5-5 cm long. The leaf blade is oval to sword shaped and 6-24 cm long by 1.5-15 cm wide. They are membranous, papery, or leathery. There are 5-13 pairs of secondary veins. The leaves are rust coloured and hairy on one side and smooth and shiny on the other. Several flowers (1-20) occur on clusters in the axils of leaves. They can be female or of both sexes. The flower petals are 2-3 mm long. They are white to greenish. The fruit are white, yellow, red or blue when fresh. They are round to oval and about 1.5 cm across. It is smooth and with yellow sweet flesh. There are 1-5 seeds inside. The seeds are long and 8-12 mm long by 2-3.5 mm across. They are yellow with a narrow scar.

The leaves are used for medicine. There are about 100 Planchonella species. They are mostly in Asia and the Pacific.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. They grow in thickets at low elevations. It occurs in wet tropical forests. It can grow in cooler conditions. It can grow in poor soil conditions. It grows on rocky and sandy coasts on the landward side of mangroves. In Indonesia it can grow in lowland forest up to 400 m altitude. In the Andes it grows from sea level to 2,700 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Andamans, Andes, Asia, Australia, Cambodia, Chile, China, East Timor, Ecuador, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan (Bonin and Ryukyu Islands), Laos, Malaysia, Mariana Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, New Guinea, Pacific, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, South America (country/location of origin), Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit is eaten fresh. It is also made into a drink. The fruit are dried and ground into a powder and stirred into milk.

It is a commercial crop in Chile and Peru.

Edible parts

Fruit, kernel, nuts

How it is grown

Plants are grown from fresh seed.

Plants can produce in 5 years from seed. Fruit matures in about 180 days.

Its other names

Local names

Ara semenka, Ara temenka, Balam timah, Binasi, Chelangel, Chengkek, Choi, Jengkok, Karet panjal, Lala, Lucma, Lucmo, Lucuma, Moc, Nasi-nasi merah, Pangkahbok, Pelawan, Pohon lamber, Pohon nyatoh, Pokok barat laut, Shan lan, Tawak, Tuak-tuak

Synonyms

Achras obovata F. Muell. ex Benth.; Chrysophyllum acuminatum Bojer [Invalid]; Chrysophyllum obovatum Wall. ex A. DC.; Homogyne cochinchinensis Dubard; Planchonella argentea Pierre; Planchonella attentea (A. DC.) Pierre; Planchonella bancana (Burck) Pierre; Planchonella chrysophylla (de Vrise) Pierre; Planchonella clarkeana R. Kumari & Thothathri; Planchonella cochinchinensis Dubard; Planchonella ferruginea (Hook. & Arn.) Pierre; Planchonella glabra (Ridl.) H. J. Lam.; Planchonella indica (Burck) Pierre; Planchonella javensis (Burck) Pierre; Planchonella kingiana R. Kumari & Thothathri; Planchonella lanceolata (Burck) Pierre; Planchonella obovata (R. Br.) Pierre; Sersalisia obovata R. Brown, Prodr. 530. 1810; Sideroxylon ferrugineum Hooker & Arnott; Sideroxylon indicum Burck.; and others