Japanese name: モモタマナ Scientific name:Terminalia catappa
[Overview]
A semi-evergreen tree up to 25 m tall, growing near the coast.
The crown is flat.
Thick twigs emerge in whorls.
The leaves are simple, clustered at the branch tips, obovate, 20–25 cm long, with entire margins.
They have thick, short leaf stalks.
The leaves turn red before falling.
Spike-like inflorescences 6–8 cm long emerge from the leaf axils, bearing male flowers in the upper part and female or bisexual flowers in the lower part.
The flowers have no petals.
The fruit is elliptic, 3–6 cm long, usually borne in pairs, and is dispersed by floating on seawater.
[Uses]
The fruit is used medicinally and as a dye, and the bark and leaves are also used medicinally.
The kernel can be roasted and eaten.
The wood is used for furniture and canoes.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed or by cuttings.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained place.
