Local names:
Burmese (paga-nyet-su ava), Filipino (tugaui), Indonesian (leungsir,ihi mendek,tawan,kayu sapi), Lao (Sino-Tibetan) (kwaang,chieng dong), Malay (kasai daun besar,langsir,sibu), Thai (saen ta lom,sai), Trade name (kasai), Vietnamese (tr[uw][owf]ng m[aaj]t
Pometia pinnata is a medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 40(-47) m tall, with bole up to 100(-140) cm in diameter. Leaves with 3-13 pairs of leaflets having dentate margins, and alternate secondary veins ending in a tooth. Inflorescence and calyx often hairy. P. pinnata is an extremely variable species. No less than 8 forms have been recognized and given taxonomic status, but because still other and intermediate forms are encountered, this distinction is probably only useful in e.g. breeding. For reasons of completeness the 8 forms distinguished are given here : f. pinnata (synonym: P. coriacea Radlk., 1913); f. acuminata (Hook.f.) Jacobs (synonyms: P. acuminata (Hook.f.) Radlk., 1877, P. annamica Gagn., 1947); f. alnifolia (Blume) Jacobs (synonym: P. alnifolia (Blume) Radlk., 1877); f. cuspidata (Blume) Jacobs; f. glabra (Blume) Jacobs (synonym: P. pinnata var. javanica Koord. & Valeton, 1903); f. macrocarpa (Kurz) Jacobs (synonym: P. macrocarpa Kurz, 1875); f. repandra Jacobs; f. tomentosa (Blume) Jacobs (synonym: P. tomentosa (Blume) Teijsm. & Binnend., 1866).
Ecology
P. pinnata occurs in primary and secondary forests.
Native range
India, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka
Tree management
P. pinnata occurs in primary and secondary forests.
The tree is sometimes cultivated for its fruits which can have a thick and sweet-tasting arillode. The seeds are also edible.
The wood is also used for charcoal production.
Timber: Heartwood light to dark red, medium dark red-brown, sometimes purplish, sometimes with dark coloured ribbons on radial and tangential sections, not always well demarcated from the pink or buff-coloured sapwood. Grain straight or slightly interlocked. Texture rather coarse but even; wood surface glossy. The wood density P. pinnata is 500-990 kg/m cubic at 15% moisture content. The timber is used as kasai.
Medicine: The leaves and bark are used medicinally.