Mesua ferrea Linn.

Common Names:
English Names:
Alexandrian Laurel
Laurel Wood
Tamanu
Pannay Tree
Sweet Scented Calophyllum
Hawaii: Kamani
Malay: Penaga Laut
Tropical Asia: Bitaog

Classification:

Calophyllum inophyllum L.
Kingdom Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta-Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta-Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida-Dicotyledons
Subclass: Dilleniidae
Order: Theales
Family: Clusiaceae-Mangosteen family
Genus: Calophyllum L.-Calophyllum
Species: Calophyllum inophyllum L.-Alexandrian laurel
(National Plant Database.2004.)

A reddish-brown hardwood is derived from the trunk. The leaves of kamani are large, stiff, shiny, leathery and oblong with a blunt tip. They are 3-8 inches long, arranged opposite each other and have closely placed fine parallel veins running from a prominent raised yellow-green midrib to the leaf margin.
When new the delightfully fragrant flowers are small, 1 inch wide, and white with 4-8 petals. They are waxy and showy with golden yellow stamens and a pink pistil, and grow in clusters of a dozen or so flowers found hanging from a long stalk. The small, white fragrant flowers which sparkle like stars against the dark green leaves begin to open at 3-4 am and are wide open at sunrise. The fragrance attracts a wide variety of pollinating insects. The fruit begins pinkish-green, rounds out to about 2 inches long and becomes bright green. When mature, it has a thin leathery dark grey-brownish skin, which covers a bony shell that holds a partly poisonous kernel or seed surrounded by a cork-like substance. The kernel is called a "punnai nut" in some areas of the Pacific, and the oil is dark, green, thick and called "dilo oil" or "huile de tamanu". The tree can tolerate full strength seawater and grows along the seashore.
(Dweck, A. C. and Meadows, T. 2002. Tamanu, Calophyllum inophyllum-the African, Asian, Polynesian and Pacific Panacea.)
(Polunin, I. Plants and Flowers of Singapore. 1987.)
(Corner, E. J. H. Wayside Trees of Malaya. 1997.)

It also grows near the sea coast throughout India.
The species was brought north to Hawai'i from the South Pacific islands in early migrations of Polynesian settlers.
(Dweck, A. C. and Meadows, T. 2002. Tamanu, Calophyllum inophyllum-the African, Asian, Polynesian and Pacific Panacea.)
(Polunin, I. Plants and Flowers of Singapore. 1987.)
(Corner, E. J. H. Wayside Trees of Malaya. 1997.)

The mature fruit is sufficiently poisonous to be ground and used as rat bait.
(Dweck, A. C. and Meadows, T. 2002. Tamanu, Calophyllum inophyllum-the African, Asian, Polynesian and Pacific Panacea.)

The resin may be useful for chronic catarrh.
The bark is astringent and it is used in Asia and India for orchitis. It acts as an antiseptic and disinfectant and it is also used for internal haemorrhages and gonorrhoea. Taken internally, the bark acts as expectorant and it is useful in chronic bronchitis.
The leaves soaked in water are applied to inflamed eyes in Fiji and Linga. The leaf infusion is taken internally for heatstroke.
In Cambodia, the leaves are prescribed as an inhalation for migraine and vertigo and the oil for scabies.
The plant has a rich history of use. Ancient native black tribes throughout Papua New Guinea utilized the leves frequently for different kinds of skin problems. The natives in New Caledonia and Samoa use the leaves for different skin inflammations, leg ulcers and wounds.
An infusion of the fruit is said to be pectoral and stimulant of the mucous membrane of the lungs. The seed oil is used to sooth skin inflammations and insect bites.
(Dweck, A. C. and Meadows, T. 2002. Tamanu, Calophyllum inophyllum-the African, Asian, Polynesian and Pacific Panacea.)


** The information provided above is not intended to be used as a guide for treatment of medical conditions using plants.

This false kamani or "kamani haole" was introduced after the first white settlers arrived, and has the scientific name of Teminalia catappa. It was planted for shade and as an ornamental, also growing from the edible seed in its corky pod that washes ashore with waves and currents.
(Dweck, A. C. and Meadows, T. 2002. Tamanu, Calophyllum inophyllum-the African, Asian, Polynesian and Pacific Panacea.)
(Polunin, I. Plants and Flowers of Singapore. 1987.)
(Corner, E. J. H. Wayside Trees of Malaya. 1997.)

In Hawaii the wood of kamani was used to make many objects including canoes, homes, 'umeke la'au, wooden containers or calabash, specifically 'umeke kamani, food bowls and trays called pa kamani. As with milo and kou wood, there is no bad-tasting taste or odor in kamani wood, so it is perfect for vessels that will be contacting or containing food.
The flowers were used to give fragrance to kapa cloth, and also for lei making. A lamp oil for light was produced from the kernel and was used at times instead of kukui nut oil. The oil can also be used to make soap. The kernel is called a "punnai nut" in some areas of the Pacific, and the oil is dark, green, thick and called "dilo oil" or "huile de tamanu". Sometimes this oil is useful for lomi lomi, massage, especially when enhanced with coconut oil or flower fragrances. The oil may have been useful in waterproofing tapa cloth. In the old days an extract from the fruit was used to make a brown dye to color tapa cloth.
Kamani was often planted around heiau, temples. Kamani was mentioned in early chants, and considered a sacred tree in parts of Polynesia. An especially fine grove is to be found on the island of Moloka'i.
(Dweck, A. C. and Meadows, T. 2002. Tamanu, Calophyllum inophyllum-the African, Asian, Polynesian and Pacific Panacea.)
(Polunin, I. Plants and Flowers of Singapore. 1987.)
(Corner, E. J. H. Wayside Trees of Malaya. 1997.)

(Information for this species compiled and recorded by Camelia Cirnaru, NTBG Consultant.)