Matoa or Pometia pinnata is a plant native to Papua, Indonesia. Pometia pinnata has primarily been known as a species of tree that produces commercial timber widely found in Papua, although it has also long been known as a producer of highly favored local fruit, known as matoa fruit. Matoa fruit has a very specific flavor. Most people describe it as a combination of the taste of rambutan and longan. Due to its unique taste, this fruit is traditionally highly sought after and marketed in local markets in Papua. The largest production of matoa fruit comes from Jayapura, although in other areas like Yapen Waropen, Nabire, and Manokwari, matoa fruit can also be found in traditional markets. Matoa fruit has recently become known nationally as an economically promising fruit. Matoa is often used in traditional medicine in the Pacific Islands. Matoa has also been researched to possess antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities.

Matoa is a plant of the moist tropical lowlands, usually found at an altitude below 500 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.), although it is sometimes found at 1,700 m.a.s.l. In its native region, matoa thrives with an average annual rainfall in the range of 1,500 – 5,000 mm, with no severe dry season. The average annual temperature ranges between 22 – 28 °C, the average maximum temperature is 25 – 32 °C, and the minimum tolerance is 5 – 16 °C. It prefers deep, fertile, moist soil and a position in full sun or bright shade. This tree is found in various soils in its native area: in calcareous, clay, sandy, or loamy soils, mostly in dry land forests, sometimes in freshwater swamps. It is a very fast-growing tree, with a height increase of 1.7 m recorded in one year.

• Root: Has a taproot system.

• Trunk/Stem: Diameter can reach up to >100 cm, has buttresses (board roots) up to 5 m high, with a straight trunk but sometimes crooked trunks are also found with many branches, a rounded crown, and a first branch-free height of 18 – 30 m. The dead outer bark is 0.2–2 mm thick, light gray to reddish-brown, with shallow grooves and peeling off in small pieces.

• Leaves: Alternate compound leaves, stalked, over 1 m long. Each leaf consists of 4–15 pairs of leaflets, and it lacks a terminal leaflet. Leaflets are thin to rough, ovate to drop-shaped, slightly to distinctly sickle-shaped (falcate), red when young, dark green above and light green below when mature, hairless to covered in hairs, 6–40 by 2–13 cm, and with a serrated margin. The lowest pair of leaflets is smaller than the others, rounded, ear-shaped, or cushion-shaped, 0.4–3 by 0.3–5 cm, appearing like stipules, and with one of the leaflets reduced.

• Flower: The plant is monoecious, producing male and female flowers on the same individual. The flowers are about 2–2.5 mm in size, generally white to green-yellow, and appear on branched flower stalks 15–70 cm long.

• Fruit: Fleshy, with a stony core (endocarp), ellipsoid to round, 1.5–5 by 1–3 cm, and red turning black when ripe.

• Seed: Egg-shaped (ovoid), unequal sides, up to 2.5 by 1.5 cm, brown, and with a white covering (aril).

• Propagation: Matoa is very easy to propagate via seeds, but the constraint is that matoa seeds cannot be stored long-term (recalcitrant), which makes seed provision difficult. Matoa seeds freshly taken from the tree will germinate well if planted immediately, but if stored for a week, germination drops very drastically.

• Used to treat bone pain, migraine headaches, assists in the expulsion of the placenta after childbirth, relieves aches and stiffness in muscles and joints, relieves fever, remedy for flu and cold, cures diarrhea, stomach ache, cough, constipation, diaper rash, wounds, treats an unclosed fontanelle (ubun-ubun), anti-vomiting medicine for mouth infections, cold, and mucous congestion, for treating stomach ache, and treats mouth cancer. It has antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities.

• Alkaloids, saponins, tannins, triterpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds.