Calophyllum inophyllum is a large evergreen plant, commonly called tamanu, oil-nut, mastwood, beach calophyllum or beautyleaf. It is also a source of the culturally important tamanu oil.

Names

Calophyllum inophyllum is also known as Alexandrian laurel balltree, beach touriga, Borneo-mahogany, Indian doomba oiltree, Indian-laurel, laurelwood, red poon, satin touriga, and tacamahac-tree. In Island Southeast Asia and Oceania, it is also commonly known as bintangur, bitaog, tamanu, or kamani. In Kiswahili it is known as Mtondoo.

Description

Trunk and leaves

Calophyllum inophyllum is a low-branching and slow-growing tree, which spreads with a broad and irregular crown. It usually reaches <!-- min fr Dweck, max fr WildSingapore --> in height. Its trunk is thick and covered with black and cracked bark.

Flowers

Flowering can occur perennially, but usually two distinct flowering periods are observed each year: in late spring from April to June, and in late autumn from October to December.

Fruit

The fruit (the ballnut) is a round, green drupe measuring in diameter. When ripe, the fruit is wrinkled and its color varies from yellow to brownish-red. It has thin spongy flesh with a taste slightly like apple.

  • East Tropical Africa: Kenya, Tanzania
  • South Tropical Africa: Mozambique
  • Western Indian Ocean: Aldabra, Chagos Archipelago, Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique Channel Islands, Rodrigues, Réunion, Seychelles
  • China: Hainan
  • Eastern Asia: Kazan-retto, Nansei-shoto, Ogasawara-shoto, Taiwan
  • Indian Subcontinent: Bangladesh, India, Laccadive Islands, Maldives, Sri Lanka
  • Indo-China: Andaman Islands, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nicobar Islands South China Sea, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Malesia: Borneo, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera
  • Papuasia: Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon Islands
  • Australia: Queensland
  • North-Central Pacific: Hawaii
  • Northwestern Pacific: Caroline Islands, Marianas, Marshall Islands
  • South-Central Pacific: Cook Islands
  • Southwestern Pacific: Fiji, Gilbert Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Samoa, Santa Cruz Islands, Tokelau-Manihiki, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis-Futuna Islands

It has been introduced to Florida and some areas of Central America, the Caribbean and western Africa..

thumb|Heritage tree, Penaga Laut (Calophyllum inophyllum) at [[Singapore Botanic Gardens]]

thumb|Fruits

Now, it is widely cultivated in all tropical regions of the world. They are also commonly mentioned in the chants and folklore of Polynesia.

In Australia, the 1889 book The Useful Native Plants of Australia records "During a debate on the Pearl Fisheries Bill in the Queensland Assembly, a clause was specially inserted to protect trees of this species at Thursday Island. A fine of £10 is inflicted on any person who cuts down or injures this or a cocoa-nut tree, or any other tree bearing edible fruit. This clause is, of course, in the interest of the aboriginals."

Other uses

Aside from shipbuilding, tamanu oil extracted from the fruit kernels was important in Polynesian culture. The oils, as well as poultices made from leaves and flowers, are also commonly used for traditional medicine. The mature fruit is poisonous enough to use as rat bait.

The nuts are dried before cracking, after which the oil-laden kernel is removed and further dried. The first neoflavone isolated from natural sources (1951) was calophyllolide from C. inophyllum seeds.

The Mavilan, a Tulu-speaking tribe in north Kerala in India, use the bark to make a powder that they mix with water and apply to plants affected by a type of water-borne plant disease that they call neeru vembu.

The fatty acid methyl esters derived from C. inophyllum seed oil meets the major biodiesel requirements in the United States (ASTM D 6751), and European Union (EN 14214). The average oil yield is 11.7&nbsp;kg-oil per tree or 4680&nbsp;kg-oil per hectare. In the northwest coastal areas of Luzon Island in the Philippines, the oil was used for night lamps. This widespread use started to decline when kerosene became available, and later on electricity. It was also used as fuel to generate electricity to provide power for radios during World War II.

Extracts contained sesquiterpenoids, triterpenoids, fatty acids, and fatty acid derivatives.