Hydnocarpus macrocarpus

Warb.

Inacrocarpa

AchariaceaeFruitPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit ?

Leaf extracts of Hydnocarpus macrocarpa have demonstrated significant pharmacological and antibacterial properties

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant.

Amazon, Asia, India, Indochina, Myanmar, SE Asia, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Brazil, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A large evergreen tree growing to 15 m tall, native to southwestern India and Indo-China. It has simple alternate leaves clustered at twig ends and greyish-brown bark with cream-colored blazes.

How to Grow

Species in this genus generally require well-drained sandy or loamy silt soils and grow best along creek beds or on the banks of streams. Seeds tend to go rancid rather quickly. Therefore ripe fruits should be opened and the fruit pulp and aril removed from the seeds. Seeds are then washed and dried in the sun. Sun-dried seeds, either whole or broken, are cold-pressed or pressed under concurrent heating to extract the oil. The chemical composition of the end-product of these methods varies.

Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe, when it will usually germinate quickly. Germination of stored seed can be slow, with some species in the genus taking up to 2 years. Sow the seed in a shaded position in a nursery seedbed and keep moist. Grow on the seedlings in shade until large enough to plant out.