Kemiri or candlenut (Aleurites moluccanus) is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae, a large tree, up to 40 meters high, up to 1.5 meters tall, the bark is gray and rather rough with lenticels, widespread in tropical areas, the seeds are used as source of oil and spices.
A. moluccanus has young leaves, twigs and flowers decorated with dense star hairs, short and buttery silver in color as if dusted with flour. The crowns of large trees appear whitish or silvery from a distance.
Leaves are single, alternate, dark green, stalk up to 30 cm long with a pair of glands at the tip. The leaves are round or ovoid or oval or triangular, up to 30 cm long, up to 15 cm wide, heart-shaped at the base, 3-5 triangles at the tip and finger bones only at the beginning.
The flowers are in thyrsoid panicles in terminal or terminal axils, 10–20 cm long. The flowers are white, five leaves, short stalks, the female is at the end of an additional umbrella panicle, the male is smaller, blooms first and is in greater quantity. The crown is lanceolate, 5 parts, 6-7 mm long in males and 9-10 mm in females.
Fruit slightly oval and slightly flat, 7 cm, olive green outside with velvety hairs, flesh whitish and does not break. Each fruit has 1-2 seeds, wrapped in a hard and thick shell, slightly flat, up to 3 cm with whitish flakes and rich in oil.
This species grows in tropical climates, elevations up to 2000 meters, temperatures of 19-30C and rather dry conditions during the dry season. It grows well near rivers with moist soil and rainfall of 640-4290 mm/year.
The seeds are used as a cooking spice and as a thick sauce for vegetables and rice. Ripe fruit is processed into a paste as a hair fertilizer, soap and shampoo. The kernel contains 60-66% oil. Each tree produces 30-80 kg/year and 15-20% of the weight is oil.
Oil is commonly used to preserve wood, varnish or paint, coat paper to make it waterproof, soap material, insulating mixture, rubber substitute and quality fuel. The wood is very light and whitish in color, often used for small utensils, matches, handicrafts, firewood and pulp.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Aleurites J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. in Char. Gen. Pl., ed. 2.: 111 (1776)
Species: Aleurites moluccanus (L.) Willd. in Sp. Pl., ed. 4. 4: 590 (1805)
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS
Camerium moluccanum (L.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 595 (1891)
Jatropha moluccana L. in Sp. Pl.: 1006 (1753)
Mallotus moluccanus (L.) Müll.Arg. in Linnaea 34: 185 (1865)
Mallotus moluccanus var. genuinus Müll.Arg. (1865)
Manihot moluccana (L.) Crantz in Inst. Rei Herb. 1: 167 (1766)
Rottlera moluccana (L.) Scheff. in Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugduno-Batavi 4: 122 (1869)
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Aleurites ambinux Pers. in Syn. Pl. 2: 579 (1807)
Aleurites angustifolius Vieill. in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 16: 60 (1862)
Aleurites commutatus Geiseler in Croton. Monogr.: 82 (1807)
Aleurites cordifolius (Gaertn.) Steud. in Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2. 1: 49 (1840)
Aleurites integrifolius Vieill. (1862)
Aleurites javanicus Gand. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 60: 27 (1913)
Aleurites lanceolatus Blanco in Fl. Filip.: 757 (1837)
Aleurites lobatus Blanco (1837)
Aleurites moluccanus var. aulanii O.Deg. & I.Deg. in Phytologia 21: 316 (1971)
Aleurites moluccanus var. floccosus Airy Shaw in Kew Bull. 20: 26, 393 (1966)
Aleurites moluccanus var. katoi O.Deg., I.Deg. & B.S.Stone in Phytologia 21: 315 (1971)
Aleurites moluccanus var. remyi (Sherff) B.C.Stone in Pacific Sci. 21: 553 (1967)
Aleurites moluccanus var. serotinus O.Deg. & Sherff in Amer. J. Bot. 38: 57 (1951)
Aleurites pentaphyllus Benth. in N.Wallich, Numer. List: n.° 7959 (1847), nom. nud.
Aleurites remyi Sherff in Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Bot. Ser. 17: 558 (1939)
Aleurites trilobus J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. in Char. Gen. Pl., ed. 2.: 112 (1776)
Camirium cordifolium Gaertn. in Fruct. Sem. Pl. 2: 194 (1791)
Camirium oleosum Reinw. ex Blume in Catalogus: 104 (1823)
Dryandra oleifera Lam. in Encycl. 2: 329 (1786)
Ricinus dicoccus Roxb. in Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 3: 690 (1832)
Telopea perspicua Sol. ex Seem. in Fl. Vit.: 223 (1867)
Juglans camirum Lour. in Fl. Cochinch.: 573 (1790)
PUBLICATIONS
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Sykes, W.R. (1970). Contributions to the flora of Niue. Bulletin, New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research 200: 1-321.
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Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Wu, Z.Y., Raven, P.H. & Hong, D.Y. (eds.) (2008). Flora of China 11: 1-622. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
Zuloaga, F.O., Zanotti, C.A. & Moroni, P.D. (eds.) (2024). Flora Argentina. Flora vascular de la República Argentina 10: 1-251. INTA, IMBIV & IBODA.
VERNACULAR NAME
Afrikaans: Kersneutboom
Arabic: الشموع
Batak: Gambiri, Hambiri
Belitung: Kumbe
Bugis: Pelleng
Chamorro: Raguar
Chinese (Simplified): 石栗
Chinese (Traditional): 石栗
Czech: tungovník molucký
Dayak: Kaminting
English: Candlenut, Candle Nut, Kemiri, Candleberry, Indian walnut
Finnish: Hopeatungpuu
French: Bancoulier
Gayo: Kemili
German: Kerzennüsse
Hawaiian Creole: kukui
Hawaiian: Kukui
Indonesian: Kemiri
Japanese: ククイノキ
Javanese: Miri, Pidekan, Dèrèkan
Korean: 캔들넛
Lampung: Kemiling
Madura: Kamèrè, Komèrè, Mèrè
Maluku: Kumiri
Nias: Buah kareh
Nusa Tenggara: Tenu
Polish: Tung molukański
Portuguese: Nozes
Russian: Тунг молуккский
Selayar: Damiu
Slovak sviečkovec molucký
Spanish: Avellano, Arbol llorón, Nuez
Sulawesi: Berau
Sunda: Muncang
Thai: แคนเดิลนัท
Vietnamese: Hạt nến
Aryo Bandoro
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