Candlenut facts for kids

"Kukui" redirects here. For the band, see Kukui (band).

"Kemiri" redirects here. For the Indonesian district, see Kemiri, Indonesia.

Quick facts for kids Candlenut

Candlenut foliage, flowers, and nut
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Aleurites
Species:	moluccanus

The candlenut (scientific name: Aleurites moluccanus) is a flowering tree. It belongs to the spurge family, called Euphorbiaceae. People also know it by other names like candleberry, Indian walnut, kemiri, varnish tree, nuez de la India, buah keras, godou, kukui nut tree, and rata kekuna.

About the Candlenut Tree

The candlenut tree can grow very tall, up to 30 meters (about 100 feet). It has wide, spreading or drooping branches.

Leaves and Flowers

The leaves are a pale green color. They are usually oval or heart-shaped on older branches. But on young trees, the leaves might have three, five, or even seven lobes (sections). They can be up to 20 cm (8 inches) long and 13 cm (5 inches) wide. Young leaves are covered in tiny, star-shaped hairs that look rusty or creamy. The leaf stalks can be up to 12.5 cm (5 inches) long. Small leaf-like parts called stipules are about 5 mm (0.2 inches) long.

The flowers are small. Male flowers are about 5 mm (0.2 inches) across, and female flowers are a bit larger, about 9 mm (0.35 inches) across.

Fruit and Nut

The fruit is a drupe, which is a type of fruit with a hard pit inside. It is about 4 to 6 cm (1.5 to 2.4 inches) wide. Each fruit usually has one or two sections. Inside each section is a single soft, white, and oily nut. This nut is protected by a hard shell, which is about 2 cm (0.8 inches) wide. The oil from this nut is called candlenut oil.

How the Candlenut Got its Name

The famous scientist Carl Linnaeus first described this plant in 1753. He called it Jatropha moluccana. Later, in 1805, Carl Ludwig Willdenow gave it the name Aleurites moluccana. The name was later corrected to Aleurites moluccanus to match the Latin rules for the genus name.

Meaning of the Name

The genus name Aleurites comes from an Ancient Greek word meaning "flour" or "meal". This is because the new leaves look like they are dusted with flour. The second part of the name, moluccanus, means "from the Moluccas," which are islands in Indonesia.

Where Candlenuts Grow

It's hard to know exactly where the candlenut tree first came from. This is because humans spread it around a very long time ago. Now, you can find it all over tropical parts of the New and Old World.

Early History and Spread

The candlenut was first grown by people on the islands of Southeast Asia. Scientists have found old candlenut remains in places like Timor and Morotai in Indonesia. These remains are about 11,000 to 13,000 years old! Early Austronesian voyagers (ancient sailors) carried candlenuts to many Pacific islands. The trees then started growing naturally there.

Where it Lives

Candlenut trees grow in tropical rainforests and along rivers. They grow very fast and often appear in rainforest areas that have been disturbed. In Australia, they can be found from sea level up to 800 meters (about 2,600 feet) high.

Candlenut in Nature

In Australia, small animals like the giant white-tailed rat enjoy eating the seeds. You can often find broken shells under the trees.

The larvae (young insects) of a type of beetle called Agrianome fairmairei eat dead candlenut wood. In New Caledonia, people consider these larvae a tasty food!

Different Names for Candlenut

The ancient word for candlenut in the Proto-Austronesian language was *kamiri. Today, you can still hear similar names like kemiri in Javanese and Malay.

In the Pacific islands, the names for candlenut come from a different ancient word. This word meant "string together, as beads." This refers to how people used to string candlenuts together to make torches. For example, in Hawaiian, the name is kui-kui or kukui.

In Malay, the nut is also called buah keras, which simply means "hard fruit."

Uses of the Candlenut

Women in East Timor are preparing candlenut sticks to illuminate a local festival

Both the nut and the oil from it are very useful. Raw candlenuts are a little bit toxic, so they should always be cooked or toasted before eating.

In Cooking

In Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine, candlenuts are often used in curries. On the Indonesian island of Java, they are used to make a thick sauce eaten with vegetables and rice.

In Hawaii, a special condiment called ʻinamona is made from roasted kukui (candlenuts) mixed with salt. ʻInamona is a key ingredient in traditional Hawaiian poke, a popular dish.

Other Traditional Uses

In the Philippines, the tree is known as lumbang. A town called Lumban is even named after it. People used to plant these trees to mark property lines because their silvery leaves made them easy to spot from far away.

In Sabah, Malaysia, the Dusun tribes call the fruit godou. They sometimes use it as an ingredient for tattoo ink.

Light and Time

In ancient Hawaiʻi, kukui nuts were burned to provide light. People would string the nuts on a palm leaf stem. They would light one end, and each nut would burn for about fifteen minutes. This even led to them being used as a way to measure time! Hawaiians also took the oil from the nut and burned it in stone oil lamps.

Many Uses in Hawaii

The Hawaiians had many other uses for the kukui tree:

They made leis (flower necklaces) from the shells, leaves, and flowers.
They made ink for tattoos from charred (burned) nuts.
They created a varnish using the oil.
Fishermen would chew the nuts and spit them on the water. This would break the water's surface tension, removing reflections and helping them see better underwater.
A red-brown dye from the inner bark was used for cloth and ropes.
A coating of kukui oil helped keep fishing nets in good condition.
The wood was used for seats and sides of waʻa (outrigger canoes). Sometimes, the trunk was even used to make smaller fishing canoes.

The kukui was named the state tree of Hawaii on May 1, 1959, because it was so useful. It also represents the island of Molokaʻi, and its symbolic color is the silvery green of the kukui leaf.

Other Places

As recently as 1993, on the islands of Tonga, candlenuts were chewed to make a sweet-smelling oil. This oil was used during traditional funeral ceremonies. They were also used to make various sweet-smelling oils for the skin.

In Australia, Aboriginal Australians used candlenuts for many similar purposes.

In Uganda, the seed is called kabakanjagala, which means "the king loves me."

In Fiji, this nut is called sikeci. Its oil is used in cosmetic products.

Is it Safe to Eat?

Raw candlenut seeds contain chemicals called saponin and phorbol. These make them mildly toxic if eaten raw. However, the oil from the kukui seed is not known to be toxic and does not irritate the skin or eyes. Always make sure candlenuts are cooked or toasted before eating them.

Candlenut in Mythology

In Maui (one of the Hawaiian islands), the kukui is a symbol of enlightenment, protection, and peace. There is a story about Kamapua'a, a demigod who could change into a kukui tree. One legend says that a man once beat his wife to death and buried her under Kamapuaʻa while he was in tree form.