Canarium: Wikis

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Categories: Canarium

Encyclopedia

Updated live from Wikipedia, last check: May 30, 2012 15:56 UTC (51 seconds ago)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The former snail genus Canarium is now included in Strombus.

Canarium

Fruiting branch of the canarium nut Canarium harveyi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Eudicotyledoneae
Subclass:	Rosidae
(unranked):	Eurosids II
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Burseraceae
Genus:	Canarium
Species
About 75, see text

Canarium is a genus of about 75 species of tropical and subtropical trees in the family Burseraceae, native to tropical Africa, southern Asia, and Australia, from southern Nigeria east to Madagascar, Mauritius, India, southern China, Indonesia and the Philippines. They are large evergreen trees up to 40-50 m tall, with alternate, pinnate leaves.

Uses and ecology

Dammar resin from Canarium strictum

Elemicin is named after Canarium luzonicum

Several species have edible nuts, known as Galip Nut (C. indicum), Pili Nut (C. ovatum), or simply canarium nut (C. harveyi and C. indicum), . C. indicum and C. ovatum are among the most important nut-bearing trees in eastern Indonesia plus the SW Pacific and the Philippines respectively.

Dabai (C. odontophyllum) is a species of Canarium which is a delicious and nutritious fruit which tastes something like avocado. The skin and flesh are edible after soaking in warm water. The fruit contains all of protein, fat and carbohydrate, thereby making it an ideal food (most nuts are low in protein). It has been introduced from Borneo to Queensland in Australia. In addition to providing food for humans, this plant's fruit are eaten by certain animals, such as the Red-bellied Lemur (Eulemur rubriventer) and the ruffed lemurs (Varecia) of Madagascar's eastern rainforests. Superb Fruit-dove (Ptilinopus superbus) are known to be fond of Brown Cudgeree (C. australianum) fruit, which they swallow whole.

Other species – such as Elemi (C. luzonicum) and Black Dammar (C. strictum) – produce resins used as incense. Elemi resin contains and is the namesake of elemicin, a psychoactive compound otherwise known from the nutmeg (Myristica fragrans). Fatty acid methyl esters of C. commune oil meet all of the major biodiesel requirements in the USA (ASTM D 6751-02, ASTM PS 121-99), Germany (DIN V 51606) and the European Union (EN 14214).

The Thai district Amphoe Ban Lueam is named after a C. subulatum tree which in former times was a famous landmark of the area. The local name of the species is ma lueam, and thus the district's name means "District of the Canarium subulatum village" in English.