Tropical Fruits and Its Value

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...

Nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans) is a fruit tree belonging to the genus Myristica. The most important species of the genus Myristica is Myristica fragrans  (Nutmeg), this tree is believed to originate from Maluku (Moluccas) Islands, especially Banda Island, who is now a part of the territory of Indonesia. Since the first, Nutmeg has become important spice and essential commodities; it is said even since the days of the Roman Empire. Nutmeg is mentioned in the "Old" a Pliny encyclopedia, that life in Roman Empire times. European explorers are those who spread these tropical trees to other parts of Africa such as Mauritius, to Grenada in the Caribbean and several other Latin American countries. Tree characteristics: Nutmeg tree has a height of 4-15 meters and are unisex (dioecious), trees only produce only male or female flowers. Therefore, usually a male tree planted among 10 female trees. However, sources says that there is a tree that produces both male an...

A glass of hot chocolate drink served at your table in the morning, perhaps accompanied by a slice of cake made with one of the ingredients that is derived from chocolate as well. You may not realize that cocoa powder that brewed into that delicious drink, come to your desk after  following a long process and pass through various stages of cultivation and production as well as a long trade chain. Yes, a glass of chocolate and a slice of brown bread that you enjoy it, comes from a plant that originally grew at the foot of the Andes Mountains,  in the Amazon and Orinoco valley in South America.  Today the plant  known as the Cocoa Tree (Theobroma cacao) that it is spreading throughout the tropics regions worldwide as a cultivated plant that has a high economic potential. Characteristic of the tree: Cocoa classified into plants  groups of caulifloris (the plants that flowering and fruiting on the trunk and branches),  including the genus of Th...

Spondias dulcis or Ambrella or Kedondong ( Malaysia and Indonesia ), is another kind of  typical  tropical fruit  that, but not well known in other parts of the world. The  fruit is green when young and becoming  yellow  when old  with a sweet  sour  taste, well known in many countries both in equatorial Asia, and Latin America. Plant characteristics: Kedondong  included in the Angiospermae, this fast-growing tree can reach up to 60 ft (18 m) in its native area of grow.  Has a woody stem (lignosus) the form usually loud and strong, rounded shape trunk and grows upright, surface smooth stems and greenish white, single root as usual in woody trees. This plant included to the compound-leaved plants, the widest part is in the middle of the leaf blade elliptic (ovalis), tapered leaf base (acutus), tapered leaf tip (acuminatus), green leaf color with leaves 5-8 cm long and width of 3-6 cm. Viewed from the direction of t...

Baccaurea racemosa Baccaurea racemosa is a kind of tropical tree fruit that South East Asia endemic especially Indonesia, that now in threatened with extinction, the fruit of this plant named Baccaurea javanica (Menteng) .  From outside appearance, this fruit is very similar to Duku . However, the taste and its proximity botanically differ significantly. Round-shaped fruit with a brownish-yellow color when ripe and yellowish green when young, this fruit is not really a favorite even in the region of origin, perhaps because of the sour fruit flavors with just a hint of sweetness. This fruit have some local names,   Indonesia: Menteng,  Kisip, Roesip, Kemundung, Kepunung, Engkumi, Kayu masam, Kokonau, Kunau, Kunyi, Longkumo, Moho liox, Tunding undang, Umbarian. Malaysia:  Asam tambun, Rambi, Tamut, or Tampoi. Naturally, Baccaurea racemosa is a forest plant and grow wildly.  Their natural habitat is in danger, especially for those that grow in...

Malay gooseberry  Otaheite gooseberry or Malay gooseberry or Acidus Phyllanthus fruit is the fruit produced by  a  tropical and sub-tropical plant which has the same name, this plant believed to originate from Madagascar or India. This tree is classified into shrubs,  maximum high can be 9 up to 10 m. This taste of this fruit is very sour, in some southeast Asian tropical countries, although not  really popular, the fruit used as fresher  food, eaten fresh or processed into a similar kind of sweets and spicy salad. So far there is no large-scale cultivation of the fruit is. This tree just planted as a shade plant in the yard or garden. In addition to fruit in Indonesia and Malaysia the leaves of this tree is also used as fresh vegetables even if only used on a limited basis. Characteristics of the tree: Shrubs or small trees with a height of up to 9-10 m, branching low and tenuous,  grow well at altitudes up to 1000 asl, many branching, and th...