Careya arborea Roxb.

Small trees, to 12 m high; twigs 6-9 mm thick, brownish grey. Leaves: petiole to 4 cm long, narrowly winged; lamina ovate to obovate, 15-23 by 10-14 cm, chartaceous, tapering to a long narrow base and decrescent onto petiole, margin finely serrate-crenulate, apex rounded or obtusely acuminate. Inflorescences terminal spikes, 8-15 cm long; the rachis 5-8 mm thick, glabrous; bracts 3, small. Flowers sessile or subsessile; calyx tube glabrous, c. 2 cm long, the lobes ovate, c. 7 by 8 mm; petals 2.5-3.5 cm long, obtuse; stamens 3-4 mm long united into a tube for 4-5 mm at base; style to 4 cm long. Fruits ovoid-globose, to 5-6 cm long by c. 5 cm wide, crowned by persistent adpressed sepals, c. 1 cm long. Seeds numerous.

A tropical plant. It grows in open forest. They are common in deciduous and semi-evergreen forests all over the Indian plains. It grows up to 1,600 m above sea level. In the Himalayas it grows up to 800 m above sea level.

Young shoots are eaten uncooked. The flowers are eaten as a vegetable. The bark or outside root is removed and pounded and ground to make flour for bread. The seeds are eaten roasted. This is presumably to remove poison. The ripe fruit are eaten raw. They are also used as a vegetable. They are also pickled. CAUTION. There are some reports the seeds are poisonous.

Plants can be grown from seeds. Seeds germinate in 11-46 days.