Gnetum gnemon L.

Tree or shrub, up to 22 m tall, 40 cm diam., without buttresses, exceptionally a climbing shrub. Crown monopodial, narrow, cylindrical; trunk grey, marked with conspicuous or faint rings. Leaves thin, yellow when dry, tapering at both ends, but varying in shape and size, 7½-20 by 2½-10 cm; secondary nerves bent, joining; petiole 6-18 mm. ♂ Inflorescences solitary, axillary, simple or once branched, yellowish, 3-6 cm long, collars 3 mm broad. ♂ Flowers with broad sporophyll, twice as long as the perianth (3 mm). Sterile ♀ flowers globose, tipped or beaked, 2 mm thick, 10-15 in a ring. ♀ Inflorescences similar. ♀ Flowers 5-8 at each node, globose, tipped or beaked, 3-4 mm long, inner tube exserted by 1 mm. Fruit ripening yellow, then orange-yellow or pink, sessile (exceptionally stalked), ellipsoid, shortly apiculate, 1-3½ cm long, almost velvety; middle envelop ribbed.

A tropical plant. It suits the lowland tropics. Trees occur in tropical rainforest from sea level to about 1200 metres altitude. It does best with rainfalls of 3000-5000 mm per year. It is best with an annual temperature of 22-30°C. It needs a temperature above 13°C. These trees grow in Malaysia, Indonesia and islands out to Fiji. They can grow on a range of soils but do best on deep well drained soils. It grows well in acid soils. It can grow in full sun but also tolerate shade. It cannot tolerate salt spray. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Young leaf tips are eaten cooked. Young flowers are eaten, cooked. Young fruit are eaten, cooked. Ripe fruit are eaten raw or cooked. (Fruit should be crushed before cooking or they can explode.) Young flowers and fruit need cooking to get rid of irritating substances. The seeds are dried and flattened and then deep fried in hot oil and salt added.

Trees are grown from seed. For using as seed for growing, a fully ripe red fruit is needed. Seeds exhibit a natural dormancy due to a hard impermeable seed coat. Breaking this seed coat can normally hasten germination. This is done by boring a hole into the seed. Propagation can be naturally by seeds distributed by birds, by planting seeds or by cuttings. A spacing of 6 m is suitable although in rows they are often put more closely. Trees appear to establish in the forest under-storey indicating some shade tolerance. Trees recover readily from pruning. Coppicing can produce a rapid flush of new leaves. Flushes of new leaves tends to occur seasonally. Trees can be topped to keep them shorter. If plants are grown by air layering they are shorter and more compact.