Antidesma ghaesembilla Gaertn.

Species

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Phyllanthaceae > Antidesma

Characteristics

Trees up to 20 m tall; young twigs pubescent. Stipules needlelike, 3-6 × 0.5-1 mm, pubescent, caducous; petiole 4-10(-20) mm, pubescent; leaf blade oblong, more rarely ovate or obovate, (2-)3-7(-16) × (2-)3-5(-9) cm, papery to thinly leathery, pubescent to glabrous especially adaxially, often only major veins and margin pubescent, dull or shiny adaxially, dull abaxially, drying olive green to reddish green, base rounded to cordate, rarely obtuse, apex rounded, more rarely obtuse or acute, sometimes mucronate or retuse; domatia sometimes present; midvein flat adaxially, lateral veins 5-7 pairs, tertiary veins reticulate to weakly percurrent. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, axes reddish pubescent, males 4-8 cm, 10-20-branched, females 2-3 cm, (1-)10-20-branched; fruiting 4-7 cm. Male flowers sessile; sepals (4 or)5(-7), free, 0.5-1 mm, deltoid to oblong, pubescent outside, ± glabrous inside, apex acute to obtuse; disk consisting of 4-7 free alternistaminal obconical lobes, pubescent; stamens (4 or)5(-7), 2-2.5 mm; rudimentary ovary obconical. Female including fruiting pedicels 0-1 mm; sepals as in male; disk glabrous to pubescent especially at margin; ovary pubescent; stigmas (2 or)3(-5). Drupes ellipsoid, laterally compressed, 3-4(-5) × 2.5-3(-3.5) mm, sparsely pubescent; style terminal to more rarely subterminal. Fl. Mar-Sep, fr. Jun-Dec. x = 13.
More
A stout and erect tree. It grows 3-8 m tall and spreads 2-4 m across. The trunk is covered with chalky yellowish brown bark. It is rough and mottled. The timber is light coloured and hard. The young branches and new leaves have woolly hairs. The tree loses its leaves during the dry season. The leaves are 3-7.5 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. They are broadly oval with a blunt tip. The leaves are thinly textured and shiny on the upper surface but paler underneath. The leaves are numerous. The flowers are numerous and densely clustered. Male and female flowers occur on separate trees. The male flower spikes are 2.5-5 cm long and the female flowers are on short thick stalks at the ends of branches. The individual flowers are very small and about 1-2 mm long. The fruit are small, oval and fleshy. They are 0.4-0.6 cm long and purple when ripe. The fruit are edible.
Subshrub, shrub or small tree to 6 m high, deciduous. Stipules lanceolate, 1–2 mm long. Leaves: petiole 2–11 mm long; lamina elliptic, oblong or ovate, 13–90 long, 9–50 mm wide, base cordate, cuneate or rounded, margin entire or weakly sinuate, tip acute, obtuse or rounded, lateral veins mostly 7 or 8. Male flowers 2.8–3 mm long; calyx cupular, 0.5–0.8 mm long; disc with dense hairs; stamens 4 or 5. Female flowers 1.5–3.5 mm long; pedicel 0.6–2 mm long; calyx 5-lobed, with lobes ovate, 0.7–1.8 mm long; disc annular, glabrous; styles 3, recurved, terminal, 0.8–1 mm long. Fruit flattened-ellipsoid, purple-black to purple-red, 4.5–8 mm long, 4–8 mm diam.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 2.0 - 4.0
Mature height (meter) 13.0 - 14.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A tropical plant. They are common at low and medium altitudes throughout the islands of the Philippines. It grows to 120 m altitude in Malaysia. In Australia they grow in the north in open vine forest. In Vietnam it grows along riverbanks.
More
A wide range of habitats from savannah, open and dense forests and thickets; fresh-water and mangrove swamps; coastal fringes; roadsides and river banks; on dry to swampy ground; usually in secondary vegetation to 1,250 metres.
Grows in eucalypt woodland on a variety of substrates.
Light -
Soil humidity 1-12
Soil texture 1-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

The fruit are eaten raw when ripe. They are sour. They can be used for jam. The fruit are also used with meat and fish dishes. The leaves are used as acid flavouring in food.
Uses environmental use food fuel gene source material medicinal wood
Edible fruits leaves shoots
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed or cuttings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Flower

Antidesma ghaesembilla flower picture by Noel Dionson (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Antidesma ghaesembilla fruit picture by Noel Dionson (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Antidesma ghaesembilla world distribution map, present in Andorra, Australia, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, India, Iceland, Kenya, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Sri Lanka, Moldova (Republic of), Myanmar, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam

Conservation status

Antidesma ghaesembilla threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:128660-3
WFO ID wfo-0000236259
COL ID 67K34
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Antidesma paniculatum Antidesma rhamnoides Antidesma spicatum Antidesma vestitum Antidesma frutescens Antidesma schultzii Cansjera grossularioides Cansjera rheedii Antidesma ghaesembilla Antidesma pubescens Antidesma ghaesembilla var. paniculatum Antidesma ghaesembilla var. vestitum Antidesma ghaesembilla var. genuinum