 Bouea macrophylla (Bouea macrophylla Griff) is a tropical fruit tree
native to Southeast Asia. The tree belongs to the family
Anacardiaceae, and is related to the mango.
Description
The evergreen tree grows to height of 25 meters. Its leaves are lanceolate to elliptic in shape (see: Leaf shape), and range from 13
to 45 cm (5 to 17 inches) long and from 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3 inches)
wide.
The fruit (resembling a mango) are green in colour and mature to
an orange/yellow. They grow to roughly 2 to 5 cm (0.7 to 1.9 inches)
in diameter. The entire fruit, including its single seed, is edible.
The fruit range from sweet to sour in flavour, and have a light
smell of turpentine.
Flowering and fruiting times differ for Thailand and Indonesia.
Thailand : flowers in November to December, and fruit appears
from April to May.
Indonesia : flowers in June to November, and fruit appears from
March to June.
Distribution
The tree is native to Malaysia, West Java, Burma and North
Sumatra. It is also found in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia,
where it is commercially grown.
It is not usually found above an altitude of 305 meters (1000
ft), but has been cultivated at altitudes of about 850 meters (2789
ft).
Uses
Consumption
Both the leaves and fruit from the tree can be eaten. The leaves
can be eaten raw when they are still young, and can be used in
salads. While the seed is edible, the endosperm is generally bitter.
Fruit can be eaten raw, or made into dishes such as pickle, compote,
or sambal. Unripened fruit can be used to make rojak and asinan.
Functional
The entire tree can be used as an ornamental fruit bearing shade
tree due to its dense foliage.
Other names
Bouea macrophylla is commonly known in English as the marian
plum, gandaria, and plum mango. It is also known as ma-praang and
ma-yong (Thailand), ramania and gandaria (Indonesia), mayun-thee
(Burma), and kundang, rembunia, and setar (Malaysia). |
