Pometia pinnata

Pometia pinnata is a large tropical hardwood and fruit tree species, with common names including matoa, taun tree, island lychee, tava,[1] Pacific lychee of the plant family Sapindaceae.[2]

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

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,[2][3] evident by cognates of local names used on islands ranging from Sulawesi to Niue.[1]

Description

Pometia pinnata grows into medium tree of 40 m (130 ft) tall.[2] 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
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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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