Flora Fauna Web - Plant Detail - Pometia pinnata J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.

Record Info

Featured in '1001 Garden Plants in Singapore' Book (2ed) :
True

Life Stage & Characteristics

Plant Division :
Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)

Plant Growth Form :
Tree (Big (>30m); Medium (16m-30m))

Lifespan (in Singapore) :
Perennial

Mode of Nutrition :
Autotrophic

Plant Shape :
Broad / Mushroom / Hemispherical

Maximum Height :
20 m to 50 m

Maximum Plant Spread / Crown Width :
20 m to 30 m

Biogeography

Native Distribution :
From south China and Sri Lanka, through Southeast Asia to the Pacific Islands

Native Habitat :
Terrestrial (Primary Rainforest; Secondary Rainforest; Monsoon Forest; Freshwater Swamp Forest; Riverine)

Preferred Climate Zone :
Tropical, Sub-Tropical / Monsoonal

Local Conservation Status :
Native to Singapore (Endangered (EN))

Description & Ethnobotany

Plant Morphology :
Growth Form: It is a tree up to 50 m tall, with spreading buttresses up to 5 m tall.
Foliage: It has alternate, stalked, compound leaves that are more than 1 m long. Each leaf consists of 4–15 pairs of leaflets, and lacks a terminal leaflet. The papery to leathery leaflets are egg-shaped to drop-shaped, slightly to distinctly sickle-shaped, red when young, dark green above and lighter green below when mature, hairless to covered with hair, 6–40 by 2–13 cm, and with toothed margins. The lowest pair of leaflets is smaller than others, round, ear-shaped or cushion-shaped, 0.4–3 by 0.3–5 cm, appearing like a stipule, and with one of the leaflets reduced.
Flowers: The plant is monoecious, producing both male and female flowers in the same individual. The flowers are about 2–2.5 mm across, generally white to green-yellow, and occur on branched flowering stalks that are 15–70 cm long.
Fruits: Its fleshy fruits have a stony core each. Its fruit is ellipsoid to round, 1.5–5 by 1–3 cm, and red turning black when ripe. The seed is egg-shaped, unequal sided, up to 2.5 by 1.5 cm, brown, and with a white covering (aril).

Habitat :
It can be found in primary and secondary forests, up to 1700 m altitude, and is common on riverbanks. It occurs locally in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Central Catchment Nature Reserve (including Mandai and Nee Soon Swamp forests), Changi, and Pulau Tekong Kechil.

Associated Fauna :
Its flowers are insect-pollinated. Its fruits and seeds are probably eaten and dispersed by small mammals, bats and birds. The lowest pairs of leaflets, that are stipule-like, are usually inhabited by ants.

Cultivation :
It can be propagated by seed.

Etymology :
Pometia, commemorating P. Pomet, a French writer; Latin pinnata, referring to the pinnate leaves of this species

Ethnobotanical Uses :
Edible Plant Parts (Edible Fruits)
Food (Fruit & Vegetable: Fruits eaten fresh, with juicy sweet pulp that resembles Litchi chinensis (Lychee). Seeds roasted or boiled. Leaves used for chewing with lime. ; Herb & Spice)
Edible Plant Parts (Edible Fruits), Medicinal (Plant reported to have antiseptic properties (probably due to presence of saponins). Bark used by Malays and Indonesians to treat sores and wound infections. Leaves and bark used to make bathwater for fever.), Timber & Products (General-purpose wood used for construction, furniture, flooring and various items. Wood also burnt as firewood and charcoal.)

Landscaping Features

Landscaping :
It is suitable for streetscapes, parks and gardens for its attractive new foliage and bushy crown.

Desirable Plant Features :
Ornamental Foliage

Plant & Rootzone Preference/Tolerance :
Moist Soils, Well-Drained Soils, Fertile Loamy Soils

Landscape Uses :
General, Roadside Tree / Palm, Parks & Gardens, Riverine

Thematic Landscaping :
Naturalistic Garden

Fauna, Pollination & Dispersal

Pollination Method(s) :
Biotic (Fauna) (Insects (Bee))
Seed / Spore Dispersal :
Biotic (Fauna) (Vertebrates (Bat); Associated with: Seeds spread by bats)

Plant Care & Propagation

Light Preference :
Full Sun

Water Preference :
Lots of Water, Moderate Water

Maintenance Requirements :
Moderate

Propagation Method :
Seed

Foliar

Foliage Retention :
Evergreen

Mature Foliage Colour(s) :
Green

Mature Foliage Texture(s) :
Papery, Leathery, Raised / Sunken Veins, Thick

Prominent Young Flush Colour(s) :
Orange, Red

Foliar Type :
Compound (Odd-Pinnate)

Foliar Arrangement Along Stem :
Alternate

Foliar Attachment to Stem :
Petiolate

Foliar Shape(s) :
Non-Palm Foliage (Ovate; Obovate)

Foliar Venation :
Pinnate / Net

Foliar Margin :
Serrate / Toothed

Leaf Area Index (LAI) * for Green Plot Ratio :
3.0 (Tree - Intermediate Canopy)

Non-Foliar & Storage

Trunk Type (Non-Palm) :
Woody

Bark Colour(s) :
Reddish Brown

Stem Type & Modification :
Woody

Root Type :
Underground (Tap Root; Fibrous Root), Aboveground (Buttress Root)

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower & Plant Sexuality :
Unisexual Flowers (Monoecious)

Flower Colour(s) :
Cream / Off-White, Green, Yellow / Golden

Flower Grouping :
Cluster / Inflorescence

Flower Location :
Axillary

Inflorescence Type :
Panicle

Fruit, Seed & Spore

Mature Fruit Colour(s) [Angiosperms & Gymnosperms] :
Red
Fruit Classification :
Simple Fruit
Fruit Type :
Fleshy Fruit (Non-Accessory Fruit: Drupe)