Panda oleosa Pierre

A tree. It grows 15-30 m high. The trunk is 80 cm across. It can have short buttresses. The leaves are alternate and simple. They are 10-20 cm long by 5-9 cm wide. The flowers are red. The fruit are 4-5 cm across. They are green to pale yellow. The flesh is a reddish-orange. The seeds are encased in a hard shell. There are 3 openings each with a seed bent at right angles.

An understorey tree of evergreen or deciduous, primary forest, sometimes riverine or seasonally flooded, at elevations from near sea level to 400 metres.

The oil from the seeds is used in cooking. The seeds are crushed and used as a spice. The seeds are cooked and eaten and pounded and added to soups, sauces and stews.

Plants are grown from seed. They do not germinate easily. They may take 10 months to 4 years to germinate.