Tower Pine, Papua New Guinea basswood, Whitewood
Endospermum medullosum

Family: Euphorbiaceae

What it is like

A large tree. It grows 20-40 m tall. The trunk is long, straight and with buttresses. The crown is flat and spreading with few leaves. The bark is light grey with pink blotches. The leaves are large and have the leaf stalk attached to the middle of the under surface of the leaf. The leaf shape varies from round to heart shaped. The leaf blade is 29 cm long by 22 cm wide. The leaves are clustered near the ends of branches. There are 2 pairs of veins near the base running around the edge of the leaf. The young leaves have golden hairs. The flowers are small and sexes occur separately. The flowers have a sweet smell. The fruit is a small yellow green berry with one hard black seed.

There are 13 Endospermum species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in lowland rainforest in Papua New Guinea. It grows between sea level and 350 m altitude. It grows in areas with a mean annual temperature of 22-28°C. It is also in areas with an annual rainfall of 1500-5600 mm. The rainfall is uniformly distributed. It grows in a range of soils including ones that are occasionally flooded. It can grow in soils with a pH or 4.0-7.4.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Indonesia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu

How it is used for food

The young leaves are eaten cooked.

It is a useful timber tree.

Edible parts

Leaves

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Seed should be sown while fresh. Seeds germinate in 2-5 weeks. Seedlings can be planted in the field after 14-16 weeks. Plants can be grown from cuttings.

It grows very quickly. It can grow 2-3 m each year.

Its other names

Local names

A'asa, Gaimaita, Gaimet, Kakadikana, Kamite, Kumaro, Napasa

Synonyms

Very similar to Endospermum myrmecophilum;