About Astronium graveolens Jacq.
Astronium graveolens grows up to 35 metres (100 ft) in height, with a straight, cylindrical trunk that can reach up to 1 metre (39 in) in diameter. The base of the trunk has buttresses that may grow to around 2 metres (7 ft) tall. This tree has a rounded crown with irregular branches. Its bark is grey, shiny, and smooth, marked by paler patches where sections of bark have peeled off. The leaves are alternate and pinnate, bearing five to seven oblong or obovate leaflets each with a pointed tip. The tree flowers during the dry season; its flowers are hermaphroditic, small, and yellowish-green, arranged in axillary or terminal panicles. The fruit is a drupe-like nut that is blue when young and ripens to black, with semi-bitter flesh and a single seed. According to Webster's Third New International Dictionary, this plant is also commonly known as "gateado".
