Pokok bongak, Coastal dog fruit
Archidendron globosum

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows up to 30 m high and can have a trunk 90 cm across. The small branches are round and red-brown. Near the end they have short rusty hairs. The leaves can be 6-20 cm long divided into a compound leaf. There can be 1-3 pairs of first level leaflets 5-20 cm long with secondary leaflets in 4-7 pairs and 5-17 cm long by 2-7 cm wide. (The leaves vary in size and number of leaflets.) The flower clusters are at the ends of branches or in the axils of leaves towards the ends of branches. The flower heads can be 40 cm by 40 cm made up of 25-30 flowers with very short stalks. Flowers have 5 parts and are of both sexes. The fruit are pods which are reddish brown both outside and inside. They are curved almost into a circle which is 6-7 cm across. The pod splits open along one side. The seeds are bluish-black and oval. They are 25 mm by 10-15 mm. They remain attached to the pod.

There are 90 Archidendron species. Also as Mimosaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. Trees grow in dense lowland and hill rainforest. They grow from sea level to 1,000 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, SE Asia, Singapore

How it is used for food

The acid fruit are used in curries and chutneys.

Edible parts

Pods, fruit

How it is grown

It is grown from seed.

Flowers occur from January to April and then June and December. Pods occur in January and September.

Its other names

Local names

Lulai bongak, Lulai merah, Pohon kerdas, Pokok lempong

Synonyms

Aberama globosa (Blume) Kosterm.; Abarema kiahii Kosterm.; Abarema trichophylla auct. non (Kosterm.) Kosterm.; Albizia rostrata Blume ex Miq.; Feuilleea rostrata (Blume ex Miq.) O. Kuntze; Feuilleea similis O. Kuntze.; Inga globosa Blume; Pithocellobium affine Baker ex Benth.; Pithecellobium globosum (Blume) Kosterm.; Pithecellobium rostratum (Blume ex Miq.) Miq.;