Pometia pinnata
In flower, Tonga
New growth and developing fruit
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Sapindaceae
Genus: Pometia
Species:
P. pinnata
Binomial name
Pometia pinnata

Pometia pinnata is a large tropical hardwood and fruit tree species, with common names including matoa, taun tree, island lychee, tava,[2] Pacific lychee of the plant family Sapindaceae.[3]

Naturally widespread, the trees are native to tropical South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Melanesia. It was transported during the Austronesian expansion to Polynesia during prehistoric times,[3][4] evident by cognates of local names used on islands ranging from Sulawesi to Niue.[2]

Description

Pometia pinnata grows into medium tree of 40 m (130 ft) tall.[3] It has pinnate leaves. The fruits are green, yellow, or dark red up to 4 cm (1.6 in) long, each with one seed surrounded by a fleshy aril.

This popular fruit is slightly larger than a longan, but its flesh is less watery and its shell is thicker.

References

Wikispecies has information related to Pometia pinnata.
  1. ↑ Thaman, R. & Thomson, L. (2019). "Pometia pinnata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T136055184A136055188. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen (2010). "*tawan kind of fruit tree: Pometia pinnata". Austronesian Comparative Dictionary. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Conn, Barry J.; Damas, Kipiro Q. (2006). "PNGTreesKey" (Online, from pngplants.org/PNGtrees/TreeDescriptions/). Guide to Trees of Papua New Guinea. Retrieved 16 Nov 2013.
  4. ↑ Blench, Roger (2008). "A History of Fruits in the Southeast Asian Mainland". In Osada, Toshiki; Uesugi, Akinori (eds.). Occasional Paper 4: Linguistics, Archaeology and the Human Past. Indus Project, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature. pp. 115–137.


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