Common Name: Pangi

General Information

Pangium edule is a large, evergreen tree with a wide, open, spreading crown that can be up to 50 metres in diameter[]. The tree commonly reaches a height of 25 metres and can grow up to 60 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole often branches from about 5 metrers; it can be up to 120cm in diameter and with triangular buttresses 3 - 5 metres high[, ].
A multipurpose tree that is very important in the local economy of more traditional peoples, though less used in many modern societies. Although toxic raw, the seeds of the Pangi are commonly harvested from the wild and used as food by local peoples[]. The tree is also often planted in villages[]. The seeds are sold in local markets[]. The use of the tree for food has become less widespread as the availability of other foods has increased, but it is still used as a staple food in more remote areas[].

Known Hazards

The leaves, seeds and most other parts of the tree contain a high percentage of gynocardin, a glucoside which readily yields the toxin prussic acid. This is fugitive and, prior to consumption, can be eliminated from the seeds in various ways such as washing, soaking, roasting or subterranean storage. The seed is then perfectly safe to eat when boiled or roasted[].
Raw seeds are particularly toxic to poultry[].
All parts of the plant are very toxic[].

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - Malaysia to the northwest and southwest Pacific.

Habitat

Primary and secondary rain-forest; often in deforested areas, either wild or semi-cultivated; riverbanks; teak-forests; both dryland and temporarily inundated places; on stony or clayey soil; at elevations to 300 metres, occ to 1,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of mainly lowland areas in the humid tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 1,200 metres[]. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature is within the range 22 - 28°c, but can tolerate 18 - 32°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall from 2,000 - 5,000mm, but can tolerate 1,000 - 8,000mm[].
Prefers a rich, moist, fertile soil and a position in full sun[]. In Indonesia it prefers slightly acidic soils with a little shade[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, but can tolerate 5 - 7[].
Young plants grow rapidly in their initial years, but may take 10 - 15 years before they start to bear fruit[].
The flowers are rather fragrant and are produced immediately after every new flush of leaves. Flushes of the fruit can be produced 1 - 4 times a year[].
The seeds are well fitted to dispersal by water and have excellent floating capacity; they are frequently found in the beach drift[].
A mainly dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[]. The flowers are usually unisexual, but the terminal flowers of the male inflorescence are sometimes hermaphrodite[].
The male flowers are produced in few-flowered pseudoracemes, the female flowers are mostly solitary in the axils of the upper leaves[].

Edible Uses

Seed - must be cooked or otherwise treated to remove toxic compounds[, ]. They are prepared by washing, boiling and drying[]. An almond-like flavour[]. The immature seeds are used to prepare 'sayor lodeh', a spicy, Indonesian side dish[]. Ripe seeds are fermented in pits to produce 'keluwak', which has a distinctive, slightly bitter flavour and is used in the preparation of soups, stews and condiments[]. Another fermentation produces 'dageh peechong', which is similar to 'keluwak' but sweeter and more slippery in texture[]. The seed is about the size of a hen's egg, but somewhat flattened or irregular in shape with a thin shell[]. 13 - 40 seeds are contained in a single large fruit that can be up to 30cm long and weigh up to 3 kilos[, ]. Some caution is required - the seed needs to be properly prepared before being eaten, see notes above on toxicity[].

An oil obtained from the seed is sometimes used for cooking purposes when coconut oil is scarce[]. A good quality oil[]. The toxins are removed by heating the oil[]. The oil has a high content of olein and quickly becomes rancid[].

Fruit - raw. A sweet, aromatic pulp[]. It is normally eaten when the skin is soft to the touch[]. The fruit can be up to 30cm long and weigh 3 kilos[].

Medicinal

The glucosides contained in the plant, although toxic, also have several medical applications[]. In particular they have antiseptic properties and the crushed fresh seeds can be used to sterilize wounds[]. They are also applied externally as a poultice to boils[].

The leaves are antiseptic[]. They are crushed and used externally to steralize wounds, treat skin parasites etc[, ]. They are heated on a fire then placed around the head and covered with a cloth as a remedy for head lice[].

The juice of the fruit is applied topically to sores and cuts[].

The crushed bark from a mature tree is cooked in a soup and then given to lactating mothers. Their breast milk is then believed to help the young child to become stronger and more resistant to illness[].
The inner bark is heated over a hot stone and the vapour produced is used as a steam bath to bring relief to swollen and painful joints[].

Other Uses

The oil from the seed is used as an illuminant and for making soap[, ].

The shells are used as rattles on dancing masks[].

The heartwood is a light yellow; it is not clearly demarcated from the yellowish to orangish sapwood[, ]. There is a disagreeable odour[]. The wood is hard but not very durable[, ]. A good timber source for local use in traditional house construction etc[, ].

Propagation

Seed - in view of the hard seed coat, scarification followed by immersion in water for 24 hours prior to sowing is preferred. A seed bed consisting of sand facilitates transplanting. Germination takes about 1 month, seedlings are transplanted to individual pots when 2 - 3 leaves have developed. Potting medium consists of equal amounts of compost and sand. After 4 months the seedlings can be transplanted to the garden[].
In a seedling trial of Pangium edule in Malaysia 9 out of 14 non-scarified seeds germinated after 20 - 32 days[].

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