Royoong, Cay thoi
Parkia sumatrana

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows up to 35 m tall. The trunk can be 40 cm across. The bark is black. The leaves are alternate. The primary leaf stalk and axis is 36 cm long. There is a gland on the leaf stalk 2 cm from the base. There are 12-20 pairs of leaflets on the first set of leaf stalks. These leaflets are 16-21 mm long by 6-8 mm wide. About 8 pods occur per head. These are 45 cm long by 4-5 cm wide. They are covered with dense yellow hairs. There are 26-33 seeds per pod. There are 2 varieties of this tree. One has more narrow pods and more leaflets along the stalks.

Also as Mimosaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. Trees grow along rivers in lowland areas. It suits wet dense forest. They grow on a range of soils. The small podded variety grows between 100 and 600 m altitude but occasionally up to 900 m.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Cambodia, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The young leaves are eaten. The young seeds are eaten. The fruit pulp is eaten.

Edible parts

Seeds, leaves, fruit pulp, spice

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Cay thoi, Hua lon, Som poy luang, Thui

Synonyms

Parkia insignis Kurz.; Parkia macrocarpa Miq.; Parkia sumatrana subsp. sumatrana;