Common Name: Marang

General Information

Marang is an evergreen tree that can grow up to 25 metres tall[]. The straight, cylinfrical bole is up to 50cm in diameter, sometimes with low buttresses[, ].
The fruit is highly valued within the plant's native range, and it is commonly gathered from the wild for local use. The tree is also occasionally cultivated in southeast Asia and the Philippines[, , ]. It has also been introduced into S. America[]. As one of the most highly praised fruits in the genus, it is puzzling why marang is not widely grown. Low yield and short shelf life offer only a partial explanation, since these features would not deter most home gardeners[]. In addition, the tree also has local medicinal uses and the wood is sometimes traded as 'terap' timber.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Southeast Asia - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

Secondary forests up to 1,000 metres altitude on sandy clay soils in Thailand[]. Evergreen forests[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of lowland humid tropics, succeeding at elevations up to 1,000 metres[, ], it grows best in regions with abundant and equally distributed rainfall[, ].
Prefers a deep, well-drained soil[]. Young plants need some shade, but need increasing light levels as they mature[].
Trees as young as 4 - 6 years can begin to bear fruit[].
Yields of 4 - 6 tonnes per hectare have been achieved[].
The fruits are borne at the end of long flexible branches and ripe fruits are heavy, fragile and difficult to reach for harvest[]. Mature fruits are usually harvested by hand with the help of a curved knife attached to the end of long bamboo pole[]. Getting at the heavy fruit at the end of slender twigs is hazardous[]. The delicate fruit really should be caught to break the fall, it has a very short shelf life[].

Edible Uses

The ripe fruits are fleshy, aromatic, sweet and juicy - similar to the jackfruit (A. heterophyllus) but of much better quality[, ]. Usually eaten as a dessert fruit, they are considered to be the finest fruit in Brunei[]. The unripe fruit can be eaten as a boiled vegetable[]. The roundish to oblong fruit is quite large, averaging about 16cm long and 13cm in diameter[].

The rind of the fruit is said to be edible[]. Thick and fleshy[].

Seed - roasted or boiled and eaten[301,306]. Seeds boiled for 30 minutes in salty water have a delicious nutty flavour[]. Roasted seeds have a flavour similar to sweet chestnuts[]. The whitish seed is about 8 × 15mm in size[].

Medicinal

The latex is used to treat inflammation from wounds[].

Other Uses

The large leaves are used as thatch, to make partitions in long houses, and for temporary field huts[].

We have no specific information for this species, but it belongs to a group of species whose timber is known as 'terap'[]. The general description of terap timber is as follows:-
The heartwood is yellow to pale brown; it is usually not differentiated from the sapwood. The texture is moderately coarse to coarse and even; the grain is interlocked. The wood is non-durable under tropical conditions. It seasons fairly slowly, with high shrinkage and slight bowing, cupping and checking. It is generally easy to work; saws well; planes easily but leaves a rough finish on radial surfaces; bores and turns easily, but leaves a rough finish;nailing property is good; can be peeled satisfactorily and is suitable for plywood production. Locally, the wood is used for light construction, for making boxes, crates, wooden pallets and veneer. The wood is sometimes nicely figured and therefore is suitable for decorative purposes like furniture, joinery and panelling[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a short viability and so is best sown as soon as it is ripe[, ]. The seed germinates best at a temperature of 24 - 27c[]. Germination is often 100% within 4 weeks[].
Root cuttings.
Air layering.

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