Canarium ovatum, commonly known as pili, is a species of tropical tree belonging to the genus Canarium. It is one of approximately 600 species in the family Burseraceae. It is an important cultivation tree in the Philippines because of its edible nuts but can also be found in Northern Australia, Papua New Guinea and most islands and maritime areas of South-eastern Asia. Pili are an evergreen tree of about 20 meters in height. The ripe fruit of this deciduous tree possess thick black skin and you can find the nut inside a hard shell which is enclosed in a greenish pulp. Pili nuts are slender of about two inches in height and diameter of about three to four inches. Even though these nuts are tiny, they are highly nutritious and offer you a number of health benefits when you include them in your diet. You get light yellow colored edible oil from these nuts and you can use it as a substitute for olive oil.
| Name | Pili nuts |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Canarium ovatum |
| Native | Native to maritime Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines), Papua New Guinea, and Northern Australia. |
| Common/English Name | Pacific almond, canarium nut, pili nut, Java almond, Kenari nut, galip nut, nangai, and ngali |
| Name in Other Languages | German: Pilinuß English: Pili nut Philippines: Pili Malay: Kanari French: Nangai (Vanuatu) Spanish: Arbol de la nuez pili |
| Plant Growth Habit | Tall, attractive symmetrical, resinous-wood trees |
| Growing Climate | Warm temperature and even rainfall. They cannot resist even a small amount frost neither low temperature. |
| Soil | Grow well on both light and heavy soils. Prefers deep, fertile, well-drained soil. |
| Plant Size | 20 m (66 ft) tall and 50 cm in diameter. |
| Trunk | Diameters of 50 centimeters or more. |
| Leaf | Compound and arranged on either side, typically in pairs opposite each other. Leaves have deltoid to lingulate stipules, spirally arranged, imparipinnate, about 40 centimeters long. |
| Leaflets | Ovate to elliptic, 4 to 24 centimeters long and 2 to 12 centimeters wide, stiff-coriaceous, entire, base oblique, rounded to sub cordate, apex acuminate with 8 to 12 pairs of nerves. |
| Flower | Whitish yellow in color. It is 3-merous, unisexual, sub sessile, pubescent, up to 12 mm long; calyx cupular, 7 mm long in male, 8-9 mm in female flowers; petals 2 cm × 1 cm; stamens 6, slightly adnate to the disk in male, inserted on the rim of the disk and sterile in female flowers; pistil absent in male flowers, in female ones 7 mm long, ovary 3-locular, style 1.5 mm, stigma 3-lobed. |
| Fruit Shape & Size | Drupe with a length of 4-7 cm (1.6 to 2.8 in) and 2.3 to 3.8 cm (0.91-1.50 in) diameters, typically in a teardrop shape. |
| Fruit Weight | Up to 15.7 to 45.7g (0.035-0.101 lb.) |
| Fruit Color | Turning from light green to purplish black after the fruit ripens |
| Fruit Skin | Smooth, thin, shiny skin |
| Flesh Color | Greenish yellow color |
| Flavor/Aroma | Sweet and nutty flavor. |
| Taste | Rich buttery taste |
| Varieties |
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| Season | May to October |
| Major Nutrition | Total Fat (lipid) 95.46 g (272.74%) Copper, Cu 1.15 mg (127.78%) Manganese, Mn 2.776 mg (120.70%) Phosphorus, P 690 mg (98.57%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 1.096 mg (91.33%) Magnesium, Mg 362 mg (86.19%) Iron, Fe 4.24 mg (53.00%) Tryptophan 0.227 g (51.59%) Valine 0.841 g (39.82%) Isoleucine 0.58 g (34.69%) Zinc, Zn 3.56 mg (32.36%) Leucine 1.068 g (28.90%) Threonine 0.488 g (27.73%) Protein 12.96 g (25.92%) Histidine 0.306 g (24.84%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 72 µg (18.00%) Calcium, Ca 174 mg (17.40%) Lysine 0.443 g (13.25%) Potassium, K 608 mg (12.94%) Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) 0.575 mg (11.50%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.138 mg (10.62%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1 cup (100 gm) | 863 K cal |