Thlok, Cam
Parinari anamensis

Family: Chrysobalanaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 6-15 m tall. It can grow to 30 m tall. The trunk can be 30-60 cm across. The bark is grey-brown and deeply cracked. It has buttresses. The leaves are 6-15 cm long and 4-9 cm wide. They are oval with slightly pointed tips. There are 12-15 pairs of veins. The flowers are small and white. They are in slender branched clusters near the ends of twigs. These are 20 cm long. The fruit are 3-4 cm long and brown with grey scabs. They have a thin flesh. There are 1-2 seeds.

There are about 42-45 Parinari species. They grow in the tropics. There are 19 species in tropical America. The fruit of most is edible.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in forest clearings. In Vietnam it occurs above 800 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

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

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten. In times of food shortage the green fruit are boiled and eaten.

It is commonly cultivated.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Cam, Mai phok, Thlork

Synonyms

Parinari albida Craib; Parinarium anamense;