The Makiling Botanic Gardens (MBG) Plant of the Month (POM) for August 2021 is “dao,” scientifically known as Dracontomelon dao (Blanco) Merr. & Rolfe. It belongs to the family Anacardiaceae found in East Asia to Southern China, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
Dao has edible flowers and leaves. It can be cooked and eaten as vegetable. It can also be used as food flavoring. Its fruits are edible too. It has sourish-sweet taste that can be eaten raw or cooked (in soy sauce and eaten with rice) or used as flavoring curries. Dao is also used as a traditional medicine. Many believed that it can treat dermatitis and some used its mature fruit in the field of dentistry.
Come, visit and explore MBG soon and see its beauty! Stay safe!
by: Angela A. Limpiada and Analyn C. Malayba