Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)

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Pangium edule
Reinw., Flacourtiaceae
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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: lasret, raoel, rauel

English: football fruit, raual

Palauan: ariaml, riamel

Pohnpeian: drian, duhrien, durien, rawahn

Yapese: rowal

Habit:  tree

Description:  "A medium to large tree; leaves entire (or in saplings 3-lobed), cordate or subcordate, ovate, commonly 15-25 cm long, acuminate, faintly 5 cm wide; pubescent beneath on the nerves; petioles nearly as long as blade; flowers dioecious; male flowers to 5 cm wide; with 2-3 calyx-lobes; petals 5 or 6, with a basal scale; stamens many; female flowers similar, but without stamens, and 5-6 staminodes alternate with the petals; [male flowers clustered, females solitary]; ovary long-ovoid, 1-celled, with 2-4 placentae, each many-ovuled; stigma sessile; fruit large, ovoid-subpyriform, indehiscent, rough, brown, generally 15-30 cm long, and about half as thick; seeds many, compressed ovate, grayish, 5 cm long, embedded in creamy-white or yellowish pulp" (Stone, 1970; p. 427).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Malaya (Stone, 1970; p. 427).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US)
Northern Mariana Islands
Saipan Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 174)
Federated States of Micronesia
Kosrae Island
Kosrae Island introduced
cultivated
Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (2005) (p. 22)
Federated States of Micronesia
Pohnpei Islands
Pohnpei Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 174)
Federated States of Micronesia
Pohnpei Islands
Pohnpei Island   Glassman, S. F. (1952) (p. 59)
Voucher cited: Takamatsu 1004 (BM)
Federated States of Micronesia
Pohnpei Islands
Pohnpei Island introduced
invasive
Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1998) (p. 22)
Voucher cited: Lorence 7900 (PTBG)
Naturalized widely in lowlands.
Federated States of Micronesia
Yap Islands
Yap (Waqab) Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 174)
Guam
Guam Island
Guam Island introduced
cultivated
Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (pp. 427-428)
Status unknown.
Guam
Guam Island
Guam Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 174)
Palau
Palau (main island group)
Angaur Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 174)
Palau
Palau (main island group)
Koror Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 174)
Palau
Sonsorol Group
Sonsorol Island introduced
Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 174)
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)
Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Philippines
Philippine Islands
Philippine Islands native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Vanuatu
New Hebrides Islands
Vanuatu (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. &
Island group
Location Cited status &
Cited as invasive &
Cited as cultivated &
Cited as aboriginal introduction?
Reference &
Comments
Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia (Republic of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Malaysia
Malaysia
Malaysia (country of) native
U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Comments:  Widely naturalized on Pohnpei (Lorence & Flynn, 1998).

The seeds are poisonous (Stone, 1970; p. 427).

Additional information:  Additional online information about Pangium edule is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Pangium edule may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Falanruw, Marjorie C./Maka, Jean E./Cole, Thomas G./Whitesell, Craig D. 1990. Common and scientific names of trees and shrubs of Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands. Pac. SW Forest and Range Expt. Stn. Resource Bulletin PSW-67. 91 pp.

Falanruw, Marjorie C./Maka, Jean E./Cole, Thomas G./Whitesell, Craig D. 1990. Unpublished database and supplement to: Common and scientific names of trees and shrubs of Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands. Pac. SW Forest and Range Expt. Stn. Resource Bulletin PSW-67. 91 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Otobed, D./Sachet, M.-H./Oliver, R. L./Powell, D. A./Canfield, J. E. 1980. Vascular plants of Palau with vernacular names. Department of Botany, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 43 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Glassman, S. F. 1952. The flora of Ponape. Bishop Mus. Bull. 209: 1-152.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1998. Checklist of the plants of Pohnpei. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 21 pp.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 2005. Checklist of the plants of Kosrae. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 23 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.


Need more info? Have questions? Comments? Information to contribute? Contact PIER! (pier@hear.org)

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This page was created on 8 MAY 2005 and was last updated on 2 JAN 2008.