Pometia pinnata J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.

Tree, up to 50 m, dbh up to 1.40 m, nearly always with buttresses up to 5 m high, spreading to 3 m, and to 15 cm thick. Young parts very early to late glabrescent. Leaves up to more than 1 m long, 4-13-jugate; axial parts glabrous to densely hairy; pseudo-stipules elliptic to ovate, 0.4-3 by 0.25-5 cm, index 1-2.5, (straight to) strongly falcate, the basiscopic side often strongly reduced to completely suppressed, caducous to persistent, otherwise like the leaflets; petiolules 1.5-4 mm long. Leaflets ovate to obovate, slightly to distinctly falcate, 6-32 by 2-13 cm, index 2-4, pergamentaceous to coriaceous, glabrous or variably hairy, variably glandular; margin acicular or coarsely dentate; apex (acute to) gradually (rarely rather abruptly) acuminate, acumen up to 2 cm long, broad to slender, mostly mucronate; nerves 1.5-2.5 cm apart, every second nerve ending in or protruding from a marginal tooth, those in-between gradually curving towards the margin and becoming feebler, all nerves sunken above, venation hardly or not prominent. Inflorescences erect to drooping, 15-70 cm long, mostly hairy; bracts usually absent apart from those of the primary flowers of the cymules; pedicels 1-4 mm long, slender to filiform, articulated in the lower 1/5. Calyx 1-2.5 mm in diam., sepals variably connate, lobes 0.5-1.5 by 0.3-1.2 mm, outside variably hairy, inside hairy or glabrous. Petals shorter to longer than calyx, 0.4-1.3 by 0.3-1.6 mm, outside hairy or sometimes glabrous. Stamens: filaments 2-6 mm long, glabrous to completely hairy; anthers 0.5-1 mm long. Pistil: ovary 0.8-1.2 by up to 2.5 mm, style 2-5.5 mm long. Fruits 1.5-5 by 1-3 cm, pericarp in the lower part 1 mm, in the upper part up to at least 7 mm thick. Seeds up to 2.5 by 1.5 cm.

A tropical plant. It suits the hot humid tropical lowlands. It is native from Malaysia to Polynesia. It occurs in lowland and lower montane forest. They occur from sea level to 800 m altitude. They grow along riverbanks and near swamps. (The inedible kind occurs on the ridges and is the more useful timber tree.) In Samoa it grows from sea level to 500 m altitude. It usually grows in areas with an annual rainfall of 1500-5000 mm. It can grow in soils with a pH from 5 to 8. In XTBG Yunnan.

Uses Throughout its area the wood of this tree is used for several purposes, the fruits are eaten, and according to a few reports a decoction of the bark can be used medicinally. The species is of major importance mainly in New Guinea where it is the most abundant tree (10-35%, and often also by volume) in large tracts of lowland rain forest, making it one of the most important timber trees. Preferred are the small-leaved forms (f. repanda) from well-drained sites which generally reach larger diameters and have straight cylindrical boles; the large-leaved forms (mainly f. glabra) occur mainly on the less well-drained sites, reach smaller diameters, and the bole has a less favourable form. See p. 427 for a description of the timber.In Borneo, Sarawak, the Selayar Iban use this tree for curing chickenpox: the patient is bathed in water in which small pieces of or power from the bark is boiled. It is known under the vernacular name enselan.See for uses also Heyne Nutt. Pl. Indon. ed. 3 1950 999 Burkill Dict. Econ. Prod. Malay Penins. 1935 1797 .

Plants can be grown from seed. Dispersal of self sown trees is probably by bats or fresh water. Trees are produced from seeds. Seedlings are transplanted from a nursery site. The aril around the seed is eaten raw. Roasted seeds are recorded as eaten in other countries. Ton are planted from seed. Also self sown seedling are transplanted and some trees occur wild in the bush. The seeds are probably spread around by fruit eating bats. It probably takes about 5 years from planting until the trees bear fruit.