Tamanu

Spreading takamaka trees shade the beaches of Seychelles, and one of Mahé’s districts takes its name from the tree.

Calophyllum inophyllum is an evergreen tree growing to 20 m, with a broad, low-set crown that often leans out over the water and glossy, elliptic leaves with dense, parallel veins. Its fragrant white flowers with yellow stamens grow in clusters and develop into round fruits with a large seed. Tamanu oil, prized in cosmetics and folk medicine, is pressed from the seeds. The tree tolerates salty breezes and sandy ground, so it grows just behind the beach, and its hard wood was used for boatbuilding.

Significance in the country

The takamaka is the classic tree of Seychelles beaches – it provides shade at Anse Lazio and Beau Vallon, and the Takamaka district in the south of Mahé is named after it. Its wood was traditionally used by boatbuilders to make pirogues.

Where it grows

The coasts of all the inhabited islands, both granitic (Mahé, Praslin, La Digue) and some of the coral islands.

More: Wikipedia (en)