Common Name:

General Information

Burckella obovata is an evergreen tree with a dense crown; it can grow from 10 - 30 metres tall. The large, straight, cylindrical bole can be free of branches for up to 12 metres and up to 85cm in diameter, sometimes with buttresses[].
The tree is valued for its edible fruit, which is gathered from the wild and sometimes also either cultivated in home gardens or encouraged to grow in more wild conditions near the village[]. The fruit is occasionally sold in local markets[]. The tree is also a source of wood and a latex.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Indonesia (Moluccas) to New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Habitat

A canopy or sub-canopy tree in coastal rainforests[, ]. Damp forests at elevations below 300 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or roasted[, ]. Somewhat variable, though the best forms are delicious[, ]. The light-green fruit is a globose to obovoid berry 7 - 10cm long and 5 - 8cm in diameter, containing a single, large seed[, ].
Two main types of this fruit are found in Vanuatu - one elongate and the other rounded, of which the latter may sometimes be very large. The former are commoner than the latter, and have the reputation of being sweeter[].

Medicinal

Juice extracted from the grated bark is used in the treatment of asthma[].

The leaves are used in the treatment of sick people. They are crushed and then heated; the person applying the treatment then puts the leaf mixture in their mouth and spits it forcibly on to the body of the patient[].

Other Uses

All parts of the plant contain a latex[]. The latex is used for 'setting' or fixing the colour and design of tattoos[].

The leaves are used for rendering earth ovens watertight[].

A dye is obtained from the flesh of the fruit[].

The wood is used in house construction, the cross-beams of canoes and for paddles[, ]. A good timber for all sorts of constructional work and for making of canoes[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[].

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