Antidesma bunius
Leaves and fruits
Antidesma bunius, also known as Buni, Bignai or salamander tree is a fruit tree of the family of Phyllanthaceae. Often the kind of spurge family of plants (Euphorbiaceae ) is assigned. The natural range is in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. The species is also grown in other areas and can grow wild there too. The fruits are eaten both raw and processed.
Description
Antidesma bunius is an evergreen, dioecious, deeply branched, up to 10 feet, rarely to 30 m tall tree with a dense, protruding crown. He rarely grows shrub-like. The bark is yellowish -brown, smooth or cracked. Young twigs are brown, glabrous or rusty pubescent. Mature trees can form buttress roots. The leaves are alternate and are arranged in two rows. They are simple and have a 3 to 10, rarely up to 17 mm long, bare or brown fluffy hairy stem. The rough leathery leaf blade is usually 10 to 23 inches long, rarely 5 or up to 32 inches long and rarely from 2, but usually 3 to 10 inches wide, oblong, elliptic or obovate, pointed with pointed or rounded base and entire. The upper leaf surface is dark green, shiny and bald, the underside is slightly lighter, bald, slightly hairy on the veins or hairy reddish fluffy. The midrib occurs on the lower leaf surface very prominent. There shall be five rare, usually seven to 11 pairs of nerves. The third-order veins are arranged reticulate. The stipules are 4-6 mm long and 1.5 to 2 mm wide, linear and fall off early.
The flowers are numerous in terminal and axillary, to 18 cm long racemes. The red single flowers are inconspicuous and fragrant. Male flowers are sessile and have a broad bell-shaped, 1 to 1.5 mm wide, three to vierzipfeligen, rarely five lobe calyx. The three or four, rarely five stamens are 2 to 3 millimeters long. The existing rudimentary ovary is cylindrical to clavate. The female flowers grow to 0.5 to 1, rarely up to 2 mm long stalks, which increased with fruit maturity at 2 to 4, rarely to 9 millimeters. The cup is dreizipfelig. The ovary is glabrous or hairy and has three to four, rarely up to six scars. The fruits are about 1 inch wide, round or ovoid drupes, which are arranged in 20 centimeters long, pendulous clusters. The individual fruits grow to 5 millimeters long stems. They are initially green and then color over yellow to red to black-violet. The fruit stand, there are fruits different maturity level and therefore also different color. The skin is thin, smooth and shiny. The flesh is about 3 millimeters thick, juicy and soft. The taste is refreshing, sour or sweet and sour, slightly aromatic, and sometimes bitter. Ripe fruits have a red, strongly coloring juice. The hard and light brown stone cores are 9 mm long, 7 mm wide and 4 mm high, flattened ovoid, pointed, keeled round with warty surface. The species flowers from March to May the fruits mature from June to November.
The basic chromosome number is x = 13
Dissemination
The original area of distribution of Antidesma bunius located in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. There, the species grows in forests at altitudes 200-1800 m in high rainfall areas. The species is often cultivated in China, Indochina, Indonesia, the Philippines and Pacific islands such as Hawaii and Tahiti, where they sometimes wild. Rare trees in Florida, Central America and northern Australia are planted.
Systematics and history of research
Antidesma bunius is a species in the genus in the family Antidesma Phyllanthaceae. There she is assigned to the subfamily Antidesmatoideae, Tribe Antidesmateae, subtribes Antidesmatinae. It is often also associated with the family of Euphorbiaceae ( Euphorbiaceae ), subfamily Stilaginaceae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1767 in his work Mantissa Plantarum as Stilago bunius ( basionym ). Kurt Sprengel she ordered 1824 of the genus Antidesma to.
There are two varieties:
- Antidesma bunius var bunius without or with whitish hair and bald or hairy only on the veins of lower leaf surface. Ovary and fruit are bald.
- Antidesma bunius var pubescens Petra Hoffmann with generally reddish hair and also completely hairy leaf. Ovary and fruit are finely hairy. Distribution area is the Chinese province of Yunnan and Thailand.
Use
The acidic and rich in vitamin C fruits are eaten as a ripe fruit. Steamed they are used as an ingredient in fish and other foods or processed with sugar to jelly, jam, syrup or fruit juices. In Southeast Asia, the sour -tasting leaves are eaten raw or cooked with rice in salads. Due to the impressive fruit stands, the species is also a popular ornamental tree. From the bark fibers to make ropes and cords can be obtained.
The plants are propagated by seeds or by cuttings and Absenkern. Approximately 5-8 months after flowering, the seed heads are harvested when most fruits have assumed a red color.