Plant · P-667

Tonka Bean

Dipteryx odorata

Tonka Bean is a tall canopy tree of South American rainforests along rivers, needing warm, humid conditions and freely draining soil. Its seed, cured by fermentation, produces coumarin - the vanilla-like fragrance used in baking, perfume and tobacco - though the same compound is regulated as a food additive because it can harm the heart and liver in quantity. The dense, heavy timber rivals lignum vitae for hardness and resists rot in the ground, and a mature tree crops only every two or three years, beginning around five years old.