Cynometra cauliflora

Cynometra cauliflora

The nam nam (Cynometra cauliflora L., 1753) is an arboreal species belonging to the Fabaceae family.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Magnoliopsida,
Fabales Order,
Family Fabaceae,
Subfamily Detarioideae,
Amherstieae Tribe,
Genus Cynometra,
Species C. cauliflora.
The terms are synonymous:
– Cynometra acutiflora S.Vidal;
– Cynometra acutifolia S.Vidal;
– Cynometra cauliflora var. elongatis Hassk.;
– Cynometra cauliflora var. subsessilis Hassk..

Etymology –
The term Cynometra comes from the Greek “κύων, κυνός” (cyon, cynós), i.e. dog and “μήτρα” (metra), i.e. uterus, in reference to the shape of the fruits.
The specific epithet cauliflora comes from the Latin caulis, stem, caule and flos floris, flower: that is, with flowers (and consequently fruits) that grow directly on the stem.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Cynometra cauliflora is a plant native to Malaysia (although not found in a truly wild situation); found mainly in northern Peninsular Malaysia; furthermore it is widespread mainly in India, Indonesia (Java and Kalimantan), Sulawesi and Sumatra.
Its habitat is purely tropical, in areas with temperatures that oscillate between 20 °C and 30 °C with minimal seasonal variations and humidity levels that are between 70% and 90% and on soils, generally, with a pH between 5 and 6 and with a sandy texture that have low quantities of organic material and up to 400 meters above sea level.

Description –
Cynometra cauliflora is a small cauliflower tree with a thick, highly branched stem and a rather dense crown and zigzag branchlets.
Each leaf is made up of 2 leaflets, which if not examined closely can appear like two leaves. The leaflet has an asymmetrical shape and measures 5–15 cm (2–6 in) long and 2.5–7.5 cm (1–3 in) wide. They are shiny and smooth, dark green in color with light green undersides and when young they are a rosy pink.
The inflorescences are short compact racemes grouped at the nodes of the trunk or main branches, often near the ground, with small bisexual flowers, about 0.8 cm in diameter, with a generally quadripartite calyx with pinkish-white lobes, about long and wide 0.4 cm, retroflexed, 5 thin white or pinkish-white lanceolate petals, about 0.4 cm long, 8-10 stamens and style about 0.5 cm long.
The fruits are kidney-shaped legumes, 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long and 5 cm (2 in) wide. The pod does not open easily, but a line is visible along the fruit, dividing it in two. The skin texture is leathery and bumpy, greenish/light yellow to brown in color. The pod is edible, with aromatic and juicy yellow pulp, and relatively large seeds.
The pods ripen about 2 months after flowering.

Cultivation –
Cynometra cauliflora is a small tree that flowers and produces large pods along the trunk of the tree, most commonly near the base.
The tree has a very long history of cultivation for both food and ornamental use. Its potential as an ornamental plant should not be underestimated due to the intense pink color of the young leaves and the curious fruits along the trunk. It is an excellent subject for bonsai to be grown in a particularly bright position with minimum winter temperature values not lower than 16 °C.
This plant grows well in humid tropical lowlands, but experience in India suggests that it is most fruitful in monsoon climates with a distinct dry season.
It grows well at altitudes up to 400 meters. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are between 22 and 35°C, but can tolerate 17-40°C.
It is a slow-growing species present mainly in south-east Asia where it is often grown in family gardens for its fruits, it requires a humid tropical or subtropical climate, not supporting temperatures close to 0 °C, with high annual rainfall; in fact, it prefers an average annual rainfall between 1,500 and 2,000 mm, but tolerates 1,200 – 2,500 mm.
The plant prefers a position in full sun but tolerates a certain shade and, from a pedological point of view, prefers a pH between 5 and 6, tolerating 4.5 – 6.5; furthermore the plant is wind resistant.
It generally reproduces by seed, previously kept in water for two days, in an organic substrate with the addition of 30% coarse silica sand or agri-perlite, kept humid at a temperature of 26-28 °C, with rather long germination times, 1-3 months and first fruiting starting from the 6th-7th year.

Customs and Traditions –
Cynometra cauliflora is a plant known by various common names, including: nam nam, niam niam, puki (India); nam nam, namu namu (Indonesia); katak puru, salah nama (Peninsula Malaysia); hima, nang-ai (Thailand).
The plant is grown for both food and medicinal purposes, as well as as an ornamental and for bonsai.
The immature fruits have a particularly acidic flavor and are only consumed cooked, the ripe ones have a pleasant, slightly acidic flavor and are consumed fresh, added to salads or typical dishes to flavour, fried in batter or cooked with sugar for jams.
Various parts of the plant are used in traditional medicine for various pathologies, the oil extracted from the seeds in skin diseases and leprosy.
Laboratory studies have highlighted anti-leukemic properties in fruit extracts and in all parts of the plant the presence of compounds with antioxidant properties of potential interest for the official pharmacopoeia.
No other particular uses are known.
The wood is not valuable and is not even used as firewood.

Preparation Mode –
Cynometra cauliflora is a plant traditionally used as a source of food and medicine.
The pods are highly prized as a food and as an ingredient for traditional medicine and are sold in local markets.
Namnam pods are a highly prized food, but yields in Southeast Asia are so low that the tree is grown more for its curiosity than its productivity, and this situation is not likely to change.
The ripe fruits are slightly acidic, the unripe ones are only eaten cooked and also consumed with sugar to prepare desserts (compotes).
They can also be made into fruit salad, pickled or used to prepare a special “sambal” (a condiment made from crushed chili pepper).
In medicinal use, an oil is extracted from the seed which is used for various uses.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynometra_cauliflora#/media/File:Cynom_caulif_Lv_071126-1784_tdp.jpg
– https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Cynometra_cauliflora_Blanco1.213-cropped.jpg

Attention: Pharmaceutical applications and food uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not represent in any way a medical prescription; we therefore decline any responsibility for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.