Canarium

Canarium is a genus of about 120 species of tropical and subtropical trees, in the family Burseraceae. They grow naturally across tropical Africa, south and southeast Asia, Indochina, Malesia, Australia and western Pacific Islands; including from southern Nigeria east to Madagascar, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and India; from Burma, Malaysia and Thailand through the Malay Peninsula and Vietnam to south China, Taiwan and the Philippines; through Borneo, Indonesia, Timor and New Guinea, through to the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Palau.
Canarium species grow up to large evergreen trees of tall, and have alternately arranged, pinnate leaves. They are dioecious, with male and female flowers growing on separate trees.

Species

As of January 2024, Plants of [the World Online] accepts 121 species. The brief species distribution information was sourced from Flora Malesiana, the Flora of [China (series)|Flora of China (series)], the Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants information system, and Plants of the World Online.Canarium acutifolium – New Guinea, Maluku, Sulawesi, New Britain, New Ireland, Bougainville, Qld AustraliaCanarium album Chinese white olive – Taiwan, S China, VietnamCanarium ampasindavae – MadagascarCanarium apertum – Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, BorneoCanarium arcuatum – MadagascarCanarium asperum – New Guinea, Maluku, Sulawesi, Philippines, Borneo, Java, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, Timor, Solomon Is., Canarium australasicum – Qld, NSW, Australia endemicCanarium australianum – New Guinea, Qld, NT, WA, AustraliaCanarium balansae – New Caledonia endemicCanarium balsamiferum – Maluku, SulawesiCanarium batjanense – MalukuCanarium bengalense – India, Burma, Laos, Thailand, S ChinaCanarium betamponae – MadagascarCanarium boivinii – northeastern MadagascarCanarium bullatum – northern and northeastern MadagascarCanarium caudatum – Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, BorneoCanarium cestracion – E New GuineaCanarium chinare – Solomon Is., Admiralty Is.Canarium cinereum – VietnamCanarium compressum – MadagascarCanarium copaliferum – VietnamCanarium decumanum – E Borneo, Maluku, New Guinea, SulawesiCanarium denticulatum – Andaman Is., Burma, Sumatra, Malay Penin., Java, Borneo, PhilippinesCanarium dichotomum – Sumatra, BorneoCanarium divergens – BorneoCanarium egregium – MadagascarCanarium elegans — MadagascarCanarium engleri – VietnamCanarium euphyllum – Andaman Is.Canarium euryphyllum – PhilippinesCanarium ferrugineum – MadagascarCanarium findens – MadagascarCanarium fugax – MadagascarCanarium fuscocalycinum – BorneoCanarium galokense – MadagascarCanarium globosum – MadagascarCanarium gracile – PhilippinesCanarium grandifolium – Malay PeninsulaCanarium harveyi – Fiji, Niue, Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Wallis and FutunaCanarium hirsutum – New Guinea to throughout Malesia, Solomon Is., PalauCanarium indicum – New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, Solomon Is., Vanuatu, Maluku, SulawesiCanarium indistinctum – MadagascarCanarium intermedium – S SumatraCanarium kaniense – New GuineaCanarium karoense – N SumatraCanarium kerrii – ThailandCanarium kinabaluense – N BorneoCanarium kipella – W JavaCanarium kostermansii – BorneoCanarium lamianum – MadagascarCanarium lamii – New GuineaCanarium latistipulatum – BorneoCanarium liguliferum – Solomon Islands Canarium littorale – Indo-China, Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, Java, BorneoCanarium lobocarpum – MadagascarCanarium longistipulatum – MadagascarCanarium luzonicum – PhilippinesCanarium lyi – VietnamCanarium macadamii – New GuineaCanarium madagascariense – Madagascar Canarium maluense – Sulawesi, Maluku, New Guinea, BorneoCanarium manii – Andaman and Nicobar Islands, MyanmarCanarium manongarivum – MadagascarCanarium megacarpum – New GuineaCanarium megalanthum – Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, BorneoCanarium merrillii – BorneoCanarium muelleri – Queensland endemic, AustraliaCanarium multiflorum – MadagascarCanarium multinerve – MadagascarCanarium nitidifolium – MadagascarCanarium obovatum – MadagascarCanarium obtusifolium – eastern MadagascarCanarium odontophyllum – Sumatra, Borneo, Philippines Canarium oleiferum – New Caledonia endemicCanarium oleosum – New Guinea, New Britain, Timor, Maluku, SulawesiCanarium ovatum – Philippines, cultivated Asia–PacificCanarium pallidum – MadagascarCanarium paniculatum – MauritiusCanarium parvum – S China, VietnamCanarium patentinervium – Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, Banka, BorneoCanarium perlisanum – Malay Peninsula Canarium pilicarpum – northern and east-northeastern MadagascarCanarium pilososylvestre – W New GuineaCanarium pilosum – Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, Borneo

* subsp. borneensis – BorneoCanarium pimela Chinese black olive – Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, S ChinaCanarium planifolium – MadagascarCanarium polyphyllum – New GuineaCanarium pseudodecumanum – Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, BorneoCanarium pseudopatentinervium – S Sumatra, Banka, BorneoCanarium pseudopimela – Borneo Canarium pseudosumatranum – Malay PeninsulaCanarium pulchrebracteatum – eastern MadagascarCanarium reniforme – Peninsular MalaysiaCanarium resiniferum – Assam and BangladeshCanarium rigidum – New GuineaCanarium rotundifolium – Cambodia and VietnamCanarium salomonense – New Guinea and Solomon IslandsCanarium sarawakanum – Borneo Canarium schweinfurthii – African canarium; from Nigeria and Angola to UgandaCanarium sikkimense – SikkimCanarium strictum – India, Burma, S ChinaCanarium subsidarium – MadagascarCanarium subtile – MadagascarCanarium subulatum – Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, S ChinaCanarium sumatranum – Sumatra, Malay PeninsulaCanarium sylvestre – New Guinea, MalukuCanarium thorelianum – Cambodia and VietnamCanarium trifoliolatum – New Caledonia endemicCanarium trigonum – SulawesiCanarium vanikoroense – Fiji, Santa Cruz Islands, Vanuatu, and Wallis and FutunaCanarium velutinifolium – MadagascarCanarium venosum – ThailandCanarium vitiense – Fiji, Solomon Is., Samoa, Tonga, New Guinea, Bismarck Arch., Admiralty Is., Louisiade Arch., Torres Strait I's, Qld AustraliaCanarium vittatistipulatum – VietnamCanarium vrieseanum – Philippines, SulawesiCanarium vulgare – Flores, Timor, Sulawesi, MalukuCanarium whitei – New Caledonia endemicCanarium zeylanicum – Sri Lanka

Ecology

Superb fruit-doves are known to be fond of the fruit of scrub turpentine, which they swallow whole.
Many animals feed on the fruit of C. odontophyllum in the wild, such as the red-bellied lemur and the ruffed lemurs of Madagascar's eastern tropical forests. Canarium fruit is also an important part of the diet of the aye-aye.

Uses

Several species have edible nuts, known as galip nut or nangae, pili nut, or simply canarium nut. C. indicum are among the most important nut-bearing trees in eastern Indonesia and the Southwest Pacific. C. ovatum is cultivated as a food crop only in the Philippines.
C. odontophyllum, known commonly as dabai or kembayau, is a species with a nutritious fruit with a creamy taste. It is hard when raw and may be pickled or softened with hot water when prepared.
Canarium album produces a fruit consumed in Vietnam, Thailand, samo chin or kana ) and in China with an appearance of a big olive.
Canarium luzonicum, commonly known as elemi, is a tree native to the Philippines. An oleoresin, which contains Elemicin, is harvested from it.
Canarium strictum produces a resin called black dammar.