Scaphium macropodum

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Nuts, Seed

The dried seed layer (arillus) is soaked in water to create a sweet drink called 'cheng tng'. The fruit flesh is soaked to obtain a jelly-like texture used as a dessert.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in wet dense forests between 300 and 600 m altitude in Indochina. It can be up to 1,200 m above sea level.

Asia, Cambodia, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, SE Asia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam,

How to Identify

A tree. It grows 15-45 m tall. The trunk can be 80 cm across. The leaves are oval and are rounded at the base. They are simple and alternate and have long leaf stalks. The leaves on young trees have lobes like fingers on a hand. The leaves are oval and 15-25 cm long by 7-12 cm wide. The flowers are in panicles and are small and pale yellow. The fruit are large papery follicles. They form a boat shaped structure with one seed on one end. The wings can be 22 cm long.

How to Grow

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Propagation: A physical dormancy caused by the hard seed coat of the mature seeds of many species in this genus can be overcome by scarifying the seed. This is carried out by cutting away or abrading some of the seed coat to allow the ingress of water, though great care must be taken not to damage the embryo. The aril surrounding the seed should also be removed - this is easiest when it has been softened through soaking in water. The seeds germinate optimally at temperatures between 20 - 30°c. They can be sown in a nursery seedbed or in containers. A germination rate of about 95%, occurring within about 2 weeks can be expected if the seed has been properly treated.

Medicinal Uses

The dried fruits are used as medicine.

Other Uses

The fibrous bark is sometimes used for walls in temporary local houses. The wood of all species in this genus is very similar and no distinction in use is made between them. The wood is often traded; in Malaysia it is known as 'kembang semangkok', in Indonesia as 'kapas-kapasan', in Thailand as samrong. The following is a general description of the wood:- The heartwood is light yellow to light brown, with a large silver figure; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is medium to slightly coarse and uneven; the grain straight or shallowly interlocked. The wood is light to moderately heavy; soft to moderately hard; fairly strong; somewhat resistant to fungi but susceptible to dry wood borers. It seasons fairly rapidly, with very little risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. Because of its high silica content, it has a blunting effect on tools and so stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended. It is easy to work, nailing and screwing are good; gluing is correct; planing is easy and the surface produced is generally smooth. Considered a light hardwood, it has a very attractive figure, making the timber very suitable for interior finishing, panelling, furniture components etc, It is also used in construction, for joinery, boxes and crates, flooring, matches, plywood etc. Logs can be easily peeled to various thicknesses of veneers without any form of pretreatment - the veneers produced are found to be smooth and tight. Attractive ornamental figures can be found on the veneer surfaces and the veneer can be glued fairly easily. The wood is used for fuel.

Scaphium macropodum is a tree species in the family Malvaceae, subfamily Sterculioideae (previously placed in the Sterculiaceae). No subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life; there is little concern about its conservation status. Scaphium macropodum may be known as the "malva nut tree", although this name is also applied to the similar Scaphium affine. It is found in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (where it is called (cay) ươi). Throughout the region the seeds have commercial value, having traditional medicinal (and culinary) uses: with "cooling" properties especially for treating fevers, phlegm, coughs and sore throats, respiratory conditions, and generally improving health.

Other Information

The dried fruits are sold in markets. Dried fruit are sold in Chinese shops in Australia.

Notes

Also put in the family Sterculiaceae. The fruit are used as medicine.

More from Malvaceae

Abelmoschus angulosus

Abelmoschus crinitus

Hairy okra

Abelmoschus esculentus

Okra, Lady’s fingers

Abelmoschus ficulneus

Native rosella, White wild musk mallow

Abelmoschus manihot

Aibika, Edible Hibiscus

Abelmoschus manihot var. pungens

Kabasi