Common Name: Java Almond

General Information

Java nut is a fast-growing deciduous tree that can reach a height of 45 metres. The bole is markedly fluted and crooked; it can be up to 70cm in diameter, with buttresses up to 3 metres tall and 150cm wide[].
The seed is a widely apreciated food within its native range. The tree also provides and edible oil, has medicinal uses and supplies a range of materials. It is commonly harvested from the wild for local use and is also cultivated for its edible seed. It is grown as a shade tree; is used in nutmeg groves to provide shelter; and is grown as an ornamental and roadside tree[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Indonesia to New Guinea.

Habitat

A canopy tree that occurs locally, often gregariously, in dense primary forest on limestone or in rather dry rain forest[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	45.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A tree of the lowland tropics, succeeding at elevations up to 1,200 metres[].

Seedling trees begin to bear crops of seeds when about 6 - 8 years old[].
Wild forms usually have three, sometimes two kernels present in the nut, each in its own compartment[]. In the case of cultivated trees, however, only one kernel may be present in each nut[]. When this is so, the kernel is proportionately larger and the nut easier to crack[].
The seeds can vary considerably in shape and quality from tree to tree[].
Flowering and fruiting can occur throughout the year[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked[, ]. A rich, pleasant flavour, it is highly favoured as a snack[, , ]. Used as a substitute for the common almond, it is somewhat sweeter in flavour[]. It can be ground into a powder and used to make bread[]. The seeds are used in a wide variety of dishes by the local people[]. The seed contains about 72% oil, 13% protein and 7% starch[]. It has been found that adding a strained emulsion of the crushed, well-ripened kernels to cows milk makes it much more digestible if fed to babies[].

An edible oil is obtained from the seed[]. It is preferred to coconut oil by local people[].

Medicinal

The resin is used medicinally as a balsam[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is grown in nutmeg groves in order to provide shade and shelter[, ].

Other Uses

The oil from the seed is used as an illuminant[].

The resin is suitable for varnish and caulking boats[]. It is not produced abundantly[].

The hard, even-textured shells are well adapted to carving and are made into fancy articles of various kinds[].

The wood is rather soft[]. It is used for making canoes. Paddles have been manufactured from the buttresses[].
The wood is mainly used for fuel[].
This species is one of the sources of kedondong timber, which is obtained from several species in the family Burseraceae[]. We do not have a specific description of the wood for this species, but the general description of kedondong wood is as follows:-
The heartwood is generally a light brown; it is not sharply demarcated from the 3 - 5cm wide band of lighter-coloured sapwood. The texture is moderately fine and even; the grain is interlocked to wavy; the surface is lustrous. The wood is light in weight; moderately hard; not very durable, being susceptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons somewhat slowly with only a slight risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; it is moderately easy to slightly difficult to plane; finishes smooth to rough; can be easy to very difficult to bore; slightly difficult to difficult to turn; nailing and screwing properties are good; gluing is correct. The wood is suitable for internal use as a general utility timber for planking, cladding, plywood, flooring, furniture, packing cases, pallets and general carpentry work[, ].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seed coat and germinates erratically. Filing away some of the seed coat to allow moisture to enter more readily, without damaging the seed, will encourage a faster and more even germination[]. Treated seed generally has about 85% viability[].
Air-dry seed can be stored without temperature control for several months up to 1.5 years, without losing its viability.

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