Skip to main content

Petai (Parkia speciosa)

Dlium Petai (Parkia speciosa)

Stink bean or bitter bean or pete or petai (Parkia speciosa) is a tropical tree species in Fabaceae, 5-25 m high and branched, reddish brown bark, always green, compound and pinnate leaves, young seeds are harvested as fresh or boiled food.

P. speciosa has a hump-shaped flower that hangs with a long stalk, usually appearing near the tips of the branches. Young flowers and not yet blooming are green, mature flowers have stamens and pistils, old flowers turn yellow and large in size.







Dozens of long, flat pod-shaped fruits emerge from a flower hump. Each pod has up to 10-20 seeds, green when young and wrapped in a rather thick membrane of light brown. The fruit dries and becomes harder as it ripens and releases the seeds.

This tree has at least two varieties. Petai Gajah has 15-18 seeds, while Petai Kacang has 10-12 seeds. Usually sold with pods included. Seeds have a distinctive and pungent odor, are consumed fresh or as a mixture of a number of dishes.

Bean is eaten raw with sambal as part of fresh vegetables, fried or roasted. Traditional medicine uses seeds to treat anemia, stress, premenstrual syndrome, depression, abdominal pain, intestinal worms and other.

This species grows at an elevation of 0-1500 meters, rainfall 1000-2000 mm/year, latosol to clay soil, pH 5.5-7, full sunlight and a wet climate.

The plants contain flavonoids, alkaloids, phenols, terpenoids (β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, lupeol, campesterol, squalene), cyclic polysulfides, thiazolidine-4- carboxylate, saponins, hexathionine, tetrathiane, trithiolane, penthathiopane, pentathiocane, tetrathiepane, djenkolic acid.

Often used to treat liver and kidneys, worms, stress, stomach ulcers, large warts, anemia, constipation, stop smoking, reduce high blood pressure and stroke, prevent morning sickness in pregnant women, has antioxidant and antidiabetic activity.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Mimosoideae
Genus: Parkia R.Br. in Narr. Travels Africa, App. XXII: 234 (1826)
Species: Parkia speciosa Hassk. in Flora 25(2, Beibl. 1): 55 (1842)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Acacia gigantea Noronha in Verh. Batav. Genootsch. Kunsten 5(4): 5 (1790)
Acacia graveolens Jack in Malayan Misc. 2(7): 78 (1822)
Inga pyriformis Jungh. ex Miq. in Fl. Ned. Ind. 1(1): 52 (1855)
Mimosa pedunculata W.Hunter in J. Straits Branch Roy. Asiat. Soc. 53: 121 (1909)
Parkia calcarata Gagnep. in Notul. Syst. (Paris) 2: 56 (1911)
Parkia graveolens Prain in J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 66: 241 (1897)
Parkia harbesonii Elmer in Leafl. Philipp. Bot. 5: 1804 (1913)
Parkia macrocarpa Miq. in Fl. Ned. Ind., Eerste Bijv.: 284 (1861)

PUBLICATIONS

Aung, Y.L., Aung, M.H., Tan, Y. & Jin, X. (2025). An updated checklist of vascular plants of Myanmar. PhytoKeys 261: 135-364.

Lock, J.M. & Ford, C.S. (2004). Legumes of Malesia a Check-List: 1-295. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Lock, J.M. & Heald, J. (1994). Legumes of Indo-China a check-list: 1-164. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

VERNACULAR NAME

Ambon: Pateh, Pateka
Bima: Pode
Buru: Foopatu
English: Petai, Bitter bean, Stink bean, Twisted cluster bean, Sator bean
Philippines: U'pang
Indonesian: Petai, Pete
Javanese: Pete, Sindutan
Karo: Parira
Lampung: Petar
Malaysia: Petai, nyiring, patag
Minangkabau: Patai
Polish: Parkia wspaniała
Russian: Паркия красивая
Sawu: Pote
Seram: Paloh
Slovak: Parkia nádherná
Sumba: Puti
Sunda: Peuteuy (Sunda)
Thai: สะตอ
Toba: Palia, Pelia

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
Web: https://www.dlium.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Cockspur coral tree (Erythrina crista-galli)

Velvet coral tree or cockspur coral tree ( Erythrina crista-galli ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae family. It is a small tree, 5-8 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of about 50 cm, irregular branches, light wood, and fissured, soft, and light brown bark. The taproot is white. The leaves are ovate, with three strands, dark green and glossy on the upper surface, and pale green on the underside. The central lobe is up to 17 cm long and up to 11 cm wide. The left and right lobes are up to 15 cm long and up to 10 cm wide. The flowers are red, arranged in racemes, at the apex, pentameric, complete, and bilaterally symmetrical. The flowers are up to 6 cm long and 4 cm wide. The pods are long, containing about 8 seeds, green when young and turning brown as they mature. The seeds are ovate, flat, and brown. It grows well in lowlands up to an elevation of 1,500 meters, with an annual rainfall of 800-1,500 mm/year, and a temperature of 20-32°C. It thrives in well-drained soils, but...
Read more

Javan broadhead planarian (Bipalium javanum)

Cacing palu or Javan broadhead planarian ( Bipalium javanum ) is a species of animal in Geoplanidae, hermaphrodite, living on the ground, predators, often called only hammerhead or broadhead or shovel worms because of wide heads and simple copulatory organs. B. javanum has a slim stature, up to 20 cm long, up to 0.5 cm wide, head wide up to 1 cm or less, small neck, widening in the middle and the back end is rounded, all black and shiny. Javan broadhead planarians walk above ground level by raising their heads and actively looking left, right and looking up using strong neck muscles. Move swiftly, track meander, climb to get through all obstacles or make a new path if the obstacle is too high. Cacing palu track and prey on earthworms and mollusks. They use muscles and sticky secretions to attach themselves to prey to lock in. The head and ends of the body are wrapped around and continue to close the body to stop prey reactions. They produce tetrodotoxins which are very strong...
Read more

Serrated pimpernel (Lindernia glandulifera)

Serrated pimpernel ( Lindernia glandulifera ) is a species of plant in the Linderniaceae family, erect, 8-9 cm long.and white roots. The stems are cylindrical or angular or curved inward. The stems green or dark red or reddish brown. The leaves are opposite, green or dark red or brown, oval or oblong, up to 3 cm long, up to 1 cm wide and serrated margins. The flowers are white and blue, 0.6-0.7 cm wide. This plant grows in colonies in karst areas, clay soils, and areas that are sometimes flooded. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Linderniaceae Genus: Lindernia All. in Auct. Syn. Meth. Stirp. Hort. Regii Taur. 3: 178 (1766) Species: Lindernia glandulifera (Blume) Backer in Onkruidfl. Jav. Suikerrietgr.: 616 (1930) VERNACULAR NAME English: Serrated pimpernel Indonesia: Tapak gergaji Java: Tapak graji Aryo Bandoro Dlium TheDlium Web: https://www.dlium.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium
Read more