PILI NUT
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Canarium ovatum
FAMILY: Burseraceae
Canarium ovatum is the botanical name of the Pili Nut. It belongs to the family Burseraceae. It is grown for its edible nut and kernel. The supply of nuts come from the Bicol Region, Visayas and Mindanao where trees grow in the forest.
The tree is handsome, medium to large. It reaches a height of about 20 metres. It is very attractive and well-shaped, making it a good avenue tree. The leaves are compound and large, about 10 to 20 cm in length. The flowers are borne in clusters at the leaf axils of young shoots. The flowers are greenish, fragrant and about 1 cm long. Male and female flowers are borne on separate trees. From pollination to fruit, maturity takes about 10 months.
The nut is 5-8 cm long and oblong in shape. It consists of a single, oily, pleasantly-flavoured kernel, a thick hard shell and a thick fibrous pulp. The skin, the outermost covering of the fruit, turns from green to purple or nearly black when the fruit ripens. The shell which encloses the kernel is about 5 cm long, triangular and pointed at both ends. The kernel makes up about 12-15% of the whole fruit by weight.
When boiled, the pulp is edible and considered a nutritious food. The pulp also contains an oily material which is occasionally used for cooking and lighting.
The hard, stony shell makes an excellent fuel. Also, polished, it makes tourist items such as keyrings.
The sweet kernel is very rich in oil and is suitable for eating. The kernel contains 12 - 16% protein, 4 - 5% carbohydrates and 75% or more oil. The kernel, whether eaten raw or roasted, is crispy and has a delicious flavour.
The pili seems to be a purely tropical fruit plant, but it can thrive successfully over a wide range of climatic conditions. It grows at an elevation ranging from zero to 400 metres above sea level. It could not tolerate the cool period and slight front of Southern Florida. For best economic returns, it requires a moist, humid climate with an evenly-distributed rainfall throughout the year.
It can also grow on a wide range of soils, but for best production, the best soils are rich, deep and well-drained. Propagation of pili has been mainly by seed, but the pili doesn't come true to type from seed. It can be propagated by budding, grafting, marcotting and inarching. Seedling trees may start bearing in 5 - 6 years after planting. A full grown pili nut tree will easily yield 2000 fruits per year. Harvesting is a problem, as the fruits don't all ripen at the same time.
DATE: May 1989
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