Tamanu

The sacred tree of the old marae, whose seeds are pressed for tamanu oil – the Polynesian remedy for wounds and burns.

Tamanu is a spreading tree growing to 20 m, with glossy, leathery leaves marked by dense, parallel veins. It bears fragrant white flowers with yellow stamens and round green fruits with a large seed. The dried kernels are pressed for a thick, greenish oil that reduces inflammation and speeds healing, and is now popular in cosmetics. The tree copes superbly with salt and wind, so it grows on coasts, and its hard wood was used for building boats.

Significance in the country

In old Polynesia tamanu was planted beside marae – stone places of worship – and regarded as a sacred tree, and its wood was carved into bowls and canoes. Tamanu oil is today one of the best-known traditional products of French Polynesia.

Where it grows

On the coasts and lowlands of all the archipelagos, on both high islands and atolls; often beside old marae.

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