Tropical Fruits and Its Value

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is a spice plants, popular all over the world. When you go to the supermarket, you may found coriander powder inside a bottle that powder comes from a small fruit that is dried and then crushed. Coriander form and shape is very similar to pepper, small seeds 1-2 mm in diameter. Coriander is known to have functions as food and herbal medicine. As a seasoning spice, coriander fruit is widely used in Asia, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. In the world of herbal medicine coriander, known as Fructus coriandri. There are some versions regarding to the native of this plant, but majority of them noted that Coriander trees comes from South Europe and Caspian Sea. Characteristic of the tree: Coriander can be grown in lowland and upland to a height of 2,000 meters above sea level. The plants were harvested after only three months old, then dried, and the fruit is brownish separated from the plant.  Coriander plant is includ...

Pepper (Piper nigrum) is a form of whole spices produced by the plant with the same name. Pepper is very important in components of world cuisine and is widely known as an important trade commodity in the "Old World.” In the past, the price is so high that it became one of the triggers of the Europeans to the exploration of East Asia for control of trade and, thus, began the history of the colonization of Africa, Asia, and America. Piper nigrum is a type of vines, a part of the Piperaceae family. Pepper cultivation is intended to produce fruit, which is then dried and used as a spice. The fruit that knows, as black pepper or white pepper is a fresh fruit that measuring about 5 mm in diameter, dark red when fully ripe. Pepper powder is come from grinding dried pepper fruit. Piper nigrum originated from India and widely cultivated there and in other tropical regions. Currently Vietnam is the largest producer and exporter in the world. Characteristics of trees:  ...

Clove tree or Cengkeh - Indonesia (Syzygium aromaticum) is native to Indonesia, specifically from the Moluccas Island . In fact, the main part that utilized and has most economic value of clove tree is the flowers of cloves not its fruit, but people often mistakenly assume its flower as the fruit of clove.  Since the colonial era in medieval clove has become important horticultural merchandise, clove is one of the most important spice ingredients for the European community. At the time of the Dutch occupation of Indonesia, cloves is one of their essential commodities, in addition to nutmeg, sugar etc. In addition to Indonesia's clove is also cultivated in Madagascar, Zanzibar, India, and Sri Lanka, the mentioned countries are also the main producers of clove of the world. More than only utilized in food and culinary, cloves is also an important part of cigarette called cigarette kretek in Indonesia, the clove oil also utilized as aroma therapy ingredient, and i...

Chilli plant  is basically divided into two main groups, namely large peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) and cayenne pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) major chili divided into two groups, namely spicy chili (hot pepper) and chili paprika (sweet pepper). Pepper (hot pepper) comes from mainland South America and Central America. Pepper plants grown from approximately 7500 years before Christ. Communities who first utilize and develop the chili was the Incas in South America, the Maya in Central America, and the Aztecs in Mexico. They use it as a spice in cooking. Christopher Columbus landed on the coast of San Salvador on 12 October 1492 found that many locals use the bright red fruit as a cooking spice spicy taste. Then Columbus brought peppers from the Americas to Spain to be presented to Queen Isabella as the findings in the American continent. In the 1500s, the Portuguese began to trade chillies to Macao and Goa, then go to India, China, and Thailand. Around 1513 the Po...

Morinda Citrifolia Noni (Morinda citrifolia) , which is also known as the Queen of the Morinda, is a tropical fruit. So far tended to use this fruit as a herbal medicine, rather than as a table fruit or fresh fruit consumption. Not difficult to find these fruit extracts in a variety of packaging in stores herbal medicine. Polynesian peoples who inhabited the region believed to be among the first to take advantage of this fruit as a food ingredient.  Furthermore, this fruit spread in almost all tropical regions in Southeast Asia. Characteristics of the tree: All parts of the plant: roots, stems, leaves, and fruit can be used as a source of nutrients and has a neutraceutical effect. Noni tree height between 4-6 m, trunk twisted, and knaggy stiff, rough and have stuck taproot deep into the soil. Skin color outside of the tree is grayish brown or yellowish. Shiny leaves thick, oblong-shaped, measuring 15-50 x 5-17 cm. Rounded hump-type flowers and generally grow in axill...

Banana is the common name given to the large-leaved giant herb plants extending from the tribe Musaceae. Some species (Musa acuminata and M. balbisiana) produce consumption fruit which is also named the same: Banana. The fruit is arranged in bunches with groups such as a fingers but formed double. Almost all bananas have yellow skin when ripe, though some were colored orange, red, green, purple, or even almost black, bananas, as food is a source of energy (carbohydrates) and minerals, especially potassium. Bananas today has become part of the world carbohydrate source, some nations in Africa have used bananas as a staple food. However, it turned out to be the region's center of plant diversity is Malesia region (Indonesian Islands, South East Asia, Papua, and Tropical Australia). Moderate Region Tropical Africa is a region of diversity minor. Bananas can be main agricultural trade commodities for Central American countries, Brazil, Indonesia, and the Pacific...

Chayote tree (Sechium edule) , is a vine that is allied with melons, cucumbers and squash. Originate from Central America or Mexico, but now the plants also spread to Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia and other tropical and subtropical areas. One of the country's largest producer and exporter of fruits Chayote in the world today is Costa Rica. In Southeast Asia, in addition to already cultivated, this plant also grows wild in the forests of oak, mixed forests, fields and gardens. This plant grows well at altitudes 900-1100 meters above sea level. Young fruit of this plant which is also known as Chayote, consumed as a green vegetable, as well as branches and young leaves. Characteristics of the tree: Trunk : Soft, ribbed, many branches, and has twisted tendrils on the stem to other objects, generally coarse surface or slightly rough, green, and hairless. Pentagon-shaped and wrapped around, with a length of 50-2500 cm stems, new shoots grow through the armpit ...

Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) is a type of vine pods, in Indonesia and Southeast Asian countries the young fruit used as a green vegetable. This plant is a tropical legume, native to Papua New Guinea. It grows abundantly in hot, humid equatorial countries, from the Philippines and Indonesia to India, Burma, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. It does well in humid tropics with high rainfall. There are also varieties that can be grown in most areas of the U.S. Winged bean plants classified as ground cover and effective green manure, because this plant includes a best nitrogen-fixing plants from the air. In winged bean cultivation, fertilizer N is not required at all.  Characteristic of the tree: Vines, shrubs forming,  in cultivation usually given buffer, but if left without support will cover the soil surface. The trunk is cylindrical, jointed, rarely woody. In the tropical regions this plant can grow well from lowlands to highlands (up to a height of 1600 m abov...

Rose apple (Eugenia aquea or Syzygium aqueum) , is a member of the tribe of Myrtaceae,  originating from Southeast Asia, usually served as table fruit, or used as a salad ingredient, also can be used as a candied or pickled. The wood is hard, reddish pretty color and good to be used as a building material, as long as it does not hit the ground directly, but  usually just the trunk size is too small.  The wood is either be used as firewood. Rose Apple trees growth spread across south East Asia, but generally, trees are not grown in bulk. The tree is usually planted as a shade plant. Characteristics of the tree: Rose apple is a herbaceous plant, with a height of 3-10 m. Often with swollen stem-bent and branched from the base of the tree. Single leaf located opposite one another, with the size of stemmed 0.5-1.5 cm.  Leaves, heart-shaped oblong to round eggs inverted oval, 7-25 x 2.5 to 16 cm, slightly aromatic smell when crushed. Rose apple leaves b...

Longan tree (Dimocarpus longan,  Euphoria Longana) is a fruit plant that came from mainland of Asia and Southeast Asia. Cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics, but primarily in Thailand, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Australia, and in the USA, Florida, and Hawaii, Litchi fruit flavor is very sweet, juicy, and fresh,  it is one of the better-known tropical members of the soap berry family to the lychee roommates also belongs. This tree can grow well in sub-tropical and tropical. Characteristics of the tree: Longan is more suitable to be planted in the plains with an altitude between 200-600 m above sea level, with a wet climate type,  dry season no more than four months.  Ground water between 50-200 cm. 1500-3000 mm rainfall per year with a 9-12 month 2-4 months wet and dry, cold night temperatures (15-20o C) during the dry season encourages flowering plants. Litchi cultivation is generally carried out intensively on the ground in direct sun...

Tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica) including tropical plants, some literatures mentioned that this plant origin is East African savanna. Since thousands of years, this plant has been venturing into tropical Asia and later to the Caribbean and Latin America. In many places that could be an ideal location to grow, these plants like a wilder part in the whole leaf forests and savannas. Tamarind trees can grow well in low land up to about 1,000 m (sometimes up to 1,500 m) above sea level, on sandy or clay soil, especially in the territory that have a long dry season. Now, tamarind is an important fruit especially for the South East Asian Countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, or Thailand. The fruit has close relation with their modern food and food industrial, or even with herbal medicine. Characteristics of the tree: Tamarind trees including large-trunked trees, always green (not experienced the fall of the leaf), can reach 30 m high, with a trunk diameter of up to 2 m at t...

Cutleaf Groundcherry or Wild Tomato or Camapu or Winter Cherry (Physalis angulata) , this is a kind of small herb that commonly grows as wild plant near to tropical forest, paddy field or garden which is rich with sunlight.  The fruit of this tree, when ripe covered by enlarged calyx. The fruit is popular with the kids. All parts of plants, from the leaves to the roots and usually dried for using as traditional medicine ingredients. Characteristics of the tree: One year old herb (annual plant), upright, normal height of about 1 m. Ribbed stem and sharp-pointed hollow, round egg-shaped leaves elongated, pointy from ,  leaves dimension about  2.5 to 10.5 × 5-15 cm. Flowers growing in the armpits, with upright stems, purplish, with a nod end. Pentagonal petals, green with purplish ribs. The form of crown is similar a bells, five shallow notched, light yellow to dark yellow and brown stains on the inside of the neck,  7-9 mm in height.   The color of s...