Protium javanicum
Burm.f.
Trenggulun tree, Tengulun tree
Wikimedia Commons - Raditya Nanta
Wikimedia Commons - Bibamwen
President and Fellows of Harvard College
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Fruit
The leaves and fruit are eaten.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows in dense primary forest. It grows up to 800 m above sea level. It is more common in regions with a distinct dry season
Asia, East Timor, Indonesia*, SE Asia, Timor-Leste,
How to Identify
A shrub or tree. It can grow 9-25 m tall. The trunk is often short and crooked. This can be 40-115 cm across. The branches can have spines 7 cm long. The leaves are opposite and narrowly oval. There can be teeth along the edge. The flowers are in groups. The fruit is a berry and purplish-green but turns red to black when ripe.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seeds.
Medicinal Uses
The old leaves are said to be used in traditional medicine.
Other Uses
We have no specific information for this species, but many members of this genus are valued for the whitish and fragrant resin (suggesting incense) that exudes freely from the bark, and which hardens upon exposure to the air. The wood is hard and does not easily split. It is little used, other than for small tools, because straight boles are rare. The wood is used for posts, pulley-blocks, tool handles and wooden hammers. The wood is used to make a good quality charcoal. The plant has been used as a cover crop in teak (Tectona grandis) plantations.
Production
It can flower and fruit throughout the season.
Names & Synonyms
Pohon tengulun, Pohon trenggulun
References (4)
- Leenhouts, P.W.., 1955, Burseraceae in Flora Malesiana, Ser 1 Vol 5(2) p 215
- Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 180
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 471
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
