Inocarpus fagifer (parkinson ex F.a.zorn) Fosberg

A tree from 9-30 m tall with buttresses at the base of the trunk. The trunk can be 7-90 cm across. The bark is dark grey and gives a red sap when cut. The branches droop downwards. The leaves are long (20 cm), leathery, shiny and feather veined. The leaves have short stalks and are one after the other (alternate) along the branch. The leaves are large and reddish when young and shiny green when adult. The flowers of Aila are not obvious. They are pale yellow and hang loosely on the twigs from the angles where leaves join. They have 5 narrow petals joined in a tube. The flowers smell sweetly. The fruit is irregular or kidney shaped and is a one seeded pod with ridges on the surface. It can be 8-10 cm across and 3 cm thick. The ripe fruit is yellow.

A tropical plant. It grows in the lowland primary and secondary forest from sea level up to 390 m altitude. It often grows near rivers and swamps and mostly as a clump of trees. Often they are very close to the water front. It also occurs in the Pacific Islands. It is usually in areas with a rainfall between 1500-4300 mm a year. They do better where there is no distinct dry season. It grows in soils with a pH from 5-14. It can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in salty and infertile soils.

Seeds are cooked and eaten. The fleshy layer around the seed is eaten after cooking. The nuts are usually roasted although they can be boiled. Soaked nuts can be grated, mixed with coconut milk and roasted in banana leaves. Seeds can be stored by partly fermenting them in pits in the ground. Nuts can be stored for a considerable time but once shelled or cooked will only keep a short time.

Seeds are mostly planted. Seeds are also naturally distributed by bats. Plants can be propagated vegetatively by cuttings of half ripe wood. Seeds are the more common method of production. Seeds store easily for over a month but viability declines fairly rapidly in salt water. Trees prefer swampy ground but they also grow satisfactorily on higher slopes. It is presumed that plants have some salt tolerance as they often grow along the foreshore. A spacing of 5-10 m is probably suitable.