Cerbera Odollam - NParks

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Cerbera odollam Gaertn.

Family Name:	Apocynaceae
Common Name:	Pong Pong, Pong-pong, Sea Pong Pong, Yellow-eyed Cerbera, Buta Buta

Full Sun

Moderate Water

Native to Singapore

Coastal Plant

Fragrant Plant

Ornamental Flowers

Tree

Explore more topics

• Name
• Classifications and Characteristics
• Biogeography
• Description and Ethnobotany
• Landscaping Features
• Plant Care and Propagation
• Foliar
• Floral (Angiosperm)
• Image Repository
• Others

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Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Name Authority
Name Status (botanical)
Common Names
Comments

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants)
Plant Growth Form	Tree
Lifespan (in Singapore)	Perennial

Mode of Nutrition

Autotrophic

Biogeography

Native Distribution	India to Pacific
Native Habitat	Terrestrial (Coastal Forest), Shoreline (Mangrove Forest, Backshore, Sandy Beach)
Local Conservation Status	Native to Singapore (Vulnerable (VU))

Description and Ethnobotany

Growth Form	A medium-sized tree, up to 12m tall, with a rounded, bushy crown.
Trunk	Often knobbly and buttressed, with rough greyish bark.
Foliage	Glossy green, narrowly obovate to elliptic, with a short drip-tip. Dying leaves often turn orange before falling off the tree.

Flowers	Prominent white flowers with five petals, typical of Apocynaceae family. Flowers have a yellow "eye" in the centre, and are fragrant.
Fruit	Smooth, round, apple-like, containing a single large poisonous seeds, surrounded by thick fibrous husk and a papery outer pulp. Ripen from green to reddish purple to brownish-black, before dropping ofrom the tree. Buoyant husk enables fruits to float on water. The thin pulp is eaten by some birds.
Others - Plant Morphology	Used extensively in Singapore in the past as a shade tree, but has been slowly phase out due to aggressive roots, and large fallen fruits. Nowadays, it can be found in parks and gardens as an ornamental shade tree.
Associated Fauna	King Crow (Euploea phaenareta castelnaui)
Ethnobotanical Uses	Cultural / Religious: The seeds contain a toxin called cerberin, which causes cardiac arrest. They have been used for murder or suicide in India (hence its sinister common name, Indian Suicide Tree), as well as in ordeal trials in Madagascar to 'prove' one's innocence.Others: Seeds have been used as bio-pesticide, insect repellent and rat poison. Bark, leaves and seed oil are used in traditional folk medicine.

Landscaping Features

Desirable Plant Features	Ornamental Flowers, Fragrant
Landscape Uses	Coastal Plant, Beachfront / Shoreline

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference	Full Sun
Water Preference	Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Moderate

Foliar

Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	4.0 (Tree - Dense Canopy)

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower Colour(s)	White, Yellow / Golden

Image Repository

Images

Others

Master ID	1507
Species ID	2800
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.

Species record last updated on: 28 August 2025.

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