Melientha suavis Pierre

Small tree up to 13 m. Leaves lanceolate, elliptic to ovate (or rarely obovate), (4-) 6-12 (-16) by 2.5-5 (-7) cm; apex obtuse-or retuse-mucronulate, some-times acute to acuminate; base cuneate-attenuate; nerves 5-6 (-8) pairs; hardly prominulous on both sides; petiole 1-5 mm. Inflorescences often in groups on swellings at the trunk or solitary on branches and in axils of leaves; main rachis up to 15 cm, in fruiting state up to 20 cm; bracts ovate, acute, c. 0.5 mm long. Flowers: see under the subspecies. Drupe yellow, 2.3-4 by 1.5-2 cm; pedicels 3-7 mm.

Deciduous forest, where it is locally common; rarely in dry evergreen forest; at elevations from sea level (where it grows in beach forest) up to 600 metres.

The leaves are eaten cooked as a vegetable. The young leaves, shoots and flowers are served as a vegetable in soups of in dried fish curry. The ripe fruit are eaten. Caution: There is a similar looking plant that is poisonous.

It can be grown from seeds. The fully ripe seeds are collected and the flesh removed. The seeds are then cleaned and soaked overnight before sowing in the field where they are to grow. A spacing of 2-3 m is suitable. Seeds germinate in about 3 months.