1663

2: Edible fruits and nuts

Flacourtia indica (Burm.f.) Merr.

FLACOURTIACEAE

Flacourtia ramontchi L'Hérit.

Madagascar plum (En). Indonesia: duri rukem (Bahasa Indonesia), saradan (Sundanese), baga (Java). Malaysia: kerkup kecil. Philippines: bitolgol (Tagalog), bolong (Mangyan), palutan (Ibanag). Cambodia: krâk hôp nhii. Thailand: takhop-pa (central), makwen-pa, makwen-nok (northern). Vietnam: hông qûân, muôn quân, ân do.

Widespread and cultivated in Africa and Asia.

The fruit is edible but rather astringent. Infusions of the bark are used as a gargle, of the root to cure pneumonia, of the leaves to cure fever, coughs and diarrhoea.

Deciduous tree, up to 15 m tall, often spiny. Leaves very variable, often narrowly obovate, up to 9 cm x 5 cm. Fruit a globose to ellipsoid berry, about 1 cm in diameter, blackish-red, with 5—8 seeds. Usually in seasonally dry, open, barren places, on limestone, clayey or sandy soils, up to 700 m altitude.

[56]Morton, J.F., 1987. Fruits of warm climates. Creative Resource Systems Inc., Winterville, N.C., USA. 503 pp.
[93]van Steenis, C.G.G.J. et al. (Editors), 1950–. Flora Malesiana. Series 1. Vol. 1, 4–10. Centre for Research and Development in Biology, Bogor, Indonesia, and Rijksherbarium, Leiden, the Netherlands. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, London.

P.C.M. Jansen, J. Jukema, L.P.A. Oyen, T.G. van Lingen

Jansen, P.C.M., Jukema, J., Oyen, L.P.A. & van Lingen, T.G., 1991. Flacourtia indica (Burm.f.) Merr.. In: Verheij, E.W.M. and Coronel, R.E. (Editors): Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 2: Edible fruits and nuts. PROSEA Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. Database record: prota4u.org/prosea