Dracontomelon dao or sengkuang tree belongs to the Anacardiaceae family, the same family as the mangoes. The trade name of the species is Pacific Walnut and it is native to the riverine and limestone forests of Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Thailand. The species name dao is taken from the tree’s name in Tagalog, the common language of the Philippines. Sengkuang wood is used for sliced veneers, furniture, cabinets and tables.

The young leaves and the pickled fruits are edible. Sengkuang can grow into a large tree reaching a height of 40 meters. Sengkuang has reached a conservation status of endangered. A row of sengkuang trees can be seen near FRIM’s football field, in front of the Traditional Melaka House. Fruits at varying maturity levels, were noticed during the last week of May 2012. Green when young, the fruits darken to brown as they mature, resembling the sengkuang (sweet turnip) tuberous root commonly eaten fresh in Asia.

Pictures by Azahari Mohd Yusoff and Naimah Long.

Mature sengkuang fruits.		Young sengkuang fruits.
A row of sengkuang trees near FRIM’s football field. Some trees have darker coloured leaves compared to others.