Sepetir mempelas tree
Sindora siamensis

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It grows 10-25 m tall. The trunk is straight. The bark is dark brown and smooth with slight cracks along it. The leaves are compound with leaflets along the stalk. There are 2-3 pairs of leaflets. They are narrowly oval and rounded at the base and taper to the tip. The flowers are in long panicles 27-35 cm long. They are near the ends of branches. The fruit is a pod that is an irregular oval shape and 8 cm long. The fruit have thorns. There are 1-3 seeds. These are round and flattened and 10-15 mm across. They have a large aril or fleshy layer around them.

Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in lowland forests up to 400 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Cambodia, Indochina, Laos, Malaysia, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten and sometimes chewed with betel nut. The roasted seeds are used to make a drink and also used in desserts.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Bak tee, Go den, Go mat, Go se, Gu mat, Kakah, Kokoh, Maka te, Maka ling, Maka nam, Ma kha tae, Pohon sepetir mempelas, Pohon sindur mempelas, Sepetir, Tae fai, Te name

Synonyms

Sindora cochinchinensis Baill.; Sindora wallichii var. siamensis (Teijsm. ex Miq.) Baker; and others