Salacia elliptica G.Don

Slender tree, large shrub or liana, glabrous throughout; branches often conspicuously lenticellate. Petiole 5-14 mm long; blades coriaceous, often greyish brown when dried, upper surface smooth, elliptic to oblong, mostly 10-17 x 4-8.5 cm, margins entire or slightly undulate, apex rounded to obtusely cuspidate, base rounded to acute; primary vein flattened or impressed or slightly prominulous above, prominent beneath, secondary veins 8-10 per side, arising straight or arcuately, hardly visible, tertiary veins inconspicuous. Inflorescences fasciculate, on cushion-like peduncle to 3 mm thick; bracts and bracteoles deltoid, less than 1 mm long, erosulous; pedicels slender, 2-10 mm long. Flowers 5-10(-12) mm diam.; sepals membranous to nearly fleshy, semiorbicular, 1-2 x 1-2 mm, scariose; petals greenish, yellowish green or orange sometimes brownish at base, lineolate, glandular, membranous to nearly fleshy, elliptic-oblong, 3-5 x 3-4 mm, entire or erosulous; disk truncate, occasionally slightly widened towards base, 2-4 mm diam., 0.5-1 mm high, often with yellowish latex lumps; stamens reflexed in mature flowers, filaments 1-2 mm long, anthers 0.6-1 x 0.4 mm, dehiscing by somewhat oblique, apically confluent clefts; ovary depressed conical, ovules 2-4 per locule, style rather thick, 0.5-0.9 mm long. Fruiting pedicel to 2 cm long. Fruits subglobose or obovoid, to 4 cm diam., pericarp smooth or at most somewhat rugulose, blue-green turning orange or yellow at maturity.

Gallery forests. Dry forest areas, more commonly in secondary formations, of northeast Brazil, often in areas subject to periodic inundation. Prefers clayey soils, rich in organic matter, or soils well supplied with ground water.

The fruit are eaten fresh.

The plants are grown by seed. The ripe fruit are harvested and allowed to soften in a plastic bag then the seeds removed in running water. The seeds germinate in 50-60 days.