There is a lot of disagreement over this species. Some botanists view it in a narrow sense, where it is one of perhaps 250 species in the genus, whilst others see it in a very broad sense where it is the only, very variable, species in the genus and that all other species are simply variations, and thus synonyms, of this one species[]. There are also various intermediate views. It seems that differences between species growing in one region do not hold true when those plants grow elsewhere. A fine example of this is given by the 'species' Allophylus timorensis and Allophylus racemosus. In Java, these two races are easily distinguishable - the former is restricted to sandy beaches and coastal rocks, whilst the latter is an inland form. Allophylus timorensis is distributed from the Malay Peninsula to the Pacific Islands, and is rather uniform - only in New Guinea the range of variability is somewhat wider and here it intergrades completely with a third species, Allophylus micrococcus, a form found in coastal as well as inland habitats. Typical Allophylus racemosus is nearly restricted to Java; towards the East of its range it grades into a fourth species, Allophylus ternatus, which in turn also grades into the third species, Allophylus micrococcus, in New Guinea[].
The genus is currently (2014) being reviewed and it is hoped that an acceptable treatment will arise from it[].
As a further complication, it has been proposed that the species Pometia pinnata should be included here as a synonym - until the review is complete, it will be maintained as a distinct species[].

Common Name:

General Information

Allophylus cobbe is a very variable plant, mainly a shrub but sometimes straggling or climbing with a stem up to 4cm in diameter, and more rarely a tree that can be up to 25 metres tall. Tree forms have a straight, cylindrical bole that ca be free of branches for up to 10 metres, around 30 - 60cm in diameter, with buttresses up to 1 metre high[, ].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood.

Known Hazards

The fruits are used as a fish poison[].

Botanical References

Range

Found throughout the tropics in S. America, Africa and through Asia to Australia and the Pacific; moving into the subtropics.

Habitat

Sandy beaches and coastal rocks; brackish and freshwater swamps; open places, shrubberies; along and in secondary and primarv forests of all kinds, limestone outcrops and granitic boulders; from sea level to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	6.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Found in a wide range of habitats throughout the tropics and moving into the subtropics from everwet areas to areas with distinctly seasonal climates[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. A bit sour[]. Somewhat fleshy[]. The red, globular fruits, mostly with only one mericarp developed, are 45 - 125mm long and 35 - 80mm wide[].

Medicinal

The pulped leaves, or an extraction or decoction of them, as well as a decoction of the roots and the bark, are used in the treatment of stomach-aches and fevers[, ]. A disease inside the mouths of children is also treated with it[].

The scraped bark is applied to rigid abdomen, the bark to burns[].

Other Uses

The wood is reported to be very hard but not very durable: it is mainly used as a timber for temporary structures and indoors, e.g. for rafters. Canes and hilts are made from the wood, as well as beaters for the cotton fruits (Mindoro). In
the Bismarck Archipelago, poles and branches are used for floats of outrigger canoes and for marking the location of fish traps[, ].
The wood is used for fuel[, ].

Propagation

Seed -

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