Dracontomelon dao
English: New Guinea walnut; Pacific walnut; Five Buddhas; Paldao.
Filipino: Dao.
Region: Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra, Philippines, Java, Sulawesi, Moluccas, New Guinea, Solomons, Andamans, E-India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam.
Habitat: tropical.
Culture:
Botany
Tree; canopy; 45 metres tall.
Stem: greyish-brown trunk; branchless up to about 20 m; narrow buttresses, up to 6 m high.
Seed: surface with an intricate pattern, five-fold symmetry, and its five rhombic protrusions are reminiscent of primitive Buddha images.