Nyatoh terung tree
Palaquium rostratum

Family: Sapotaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows to 60 m high. The trunk is 210 cm across. There can be buttresses 4 m high and 1 m wide. The bark is cracked and flaky. The twigs are 2-8 mm thick. Young twigs have brown hairs. The leaves are scattered along the twigs or clustered near the tips. They are leathery to papery. They are fattened oval shape. They are 5-22 cm long by 2.5-9 cm wide. The edge of the leaf is wavy. There are 10-28 pairs of secondary veins. These join in loops near the edge of the leaf. The flowers are yellow or greenish-white. There are 1-5 per cluster. These occur in the axils of leaves or on leaf scars. The fruit are oblong and 1.5-3.5 cm long by 0.8-1.6 cm wide. There is 1 seed inside. The fruit are edible.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. They grow in freshwater and peat swamps. They also grow in lowland and hill forests up to 1,500 m altitude. It is mostly on sandy soils but can be on clay or limestone soils.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Brunei, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, SE Asia, Singapore, Thailand

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten. They are green and sweet. The seeds yield a fat suitable for cooking. It can be bitter.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds - oil

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Balam bakulo, Balam perak, Balam puchung, Balam sudu, Ekur lempong, Getah hyato, Ki bangkong, Nagasari, Nyatoh, Nyatok bukit, Nyatok terung, Nyatu, Pohon nyatoh terung, Puntik, Semaram

Synonyms

Croixia rostrata (Miq.) Baehni; Dichopsis bancana Miq.; Isonandra rostrata Miq.; Palaquium bancanum Burck.; Palaquium membranaceum Burck; Palaquium parvifolium Burck; Palaquium verstegei Burck;