Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Cerbera odollam Gaertn. (APOCYNACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Yellow-Eyed Cerbera, Pongpong, Buta Buta

Description

Small evergreen tree or bush to 12 m tall, to 20 cm diameter. Leaves spirally arranged. Inflorescence in terminal panicles, few to many flowered. Flowers white, corolla white with yellow eye, c. 1.5-2.5 cm long. Fruits spherical to ovoid, green when matured c. 5-8 cm long. The fruits are buoyant and are dispersed by water.

Ecology

Mostly coastal on tidal mud or sand or in mangrove swamps.

Distribution

Widely distributed from Sri Lanka and South India to coastal regions of Southeast Asia to the western Pacific Islands.

Uses

It has poisonous sap and can cause blindness. The seeds are also very poisonous. Often planted as street tree.