ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of Nua Nut. The nua nut is a common component of native meals on Santa Cruz, also eaten in between-meal snacks. Tree, sparingly branched, to 5 m tall or taller, the broad shiny leaves clustered near the ends of the branches. Flowers in long pendulous cylindrical racemes, yellow. Fruit an ovoid drupe; seed and kernel also ovoid. The fruit epidermis may be green or purple, the seed coat white or pink. In the Solomon Islands, it is generally believed that the kernels from Santa Cruz are bigger than those elsewhere. The nua nut is estimated to tolerate annual precipitation of 20 to 60 dm, annual temperature of 23 to 27°C, and pH of 6.0 to 8.4. Seasons of production are indefinite and nuts are available all year round.
