Cynometra cauliflora
Cynometra cauliflora
, Colloquially often called Cynometra cauliflora also Namnam or frog fruit, a tropical tree species from the subfamily of carob plants is ( Caesalpinioideae ). It is grown in South and Southeast Asia as a fruit tree. The seeds of the fruit can be eaten raw, cooked or eaten as a compote.
Description
Cynometra cauliflora grows as evergreen, short -stemmed, up to 10 meters tall shrub or tree. The Stammborke is gray-brown and smooth. The branches are zigzag bent. The leaves are arranged alternate, stalked long and composed of two leaflets. The leaflets are almost sitting and asymmetrically ovate - lanceolate. The sides facing each other are significantly narrower than the side facing away from each other. The leaf blade of leaflets is 5 to 16 centimeters long, 1.5 to 6 cm wide, entire, glabrous and shiny dark green.
As inflorescences short grapes are formed, which are often short grow in clusters of nodes of the stem above the ground ( cauliflory ). The flowers have four reddish white, 2-4 mm long sepals. The five petals are oval, 3-4 mm long and white.
The fruits are single-seeded, pendulous, flattened, semicircular to kidney-shaped, 3-6 cm long and 2-4 cm wide legumes. The shell is up to 8 millimeters thick, hard and outside roughly wrinkled, slightly tomentose, brown green and dull. The seeds are bean-shaped flat, 3-6 cm long and 2-4 cm wide. The seed coat is brown, the core firm and white.
Dissemination
The natural range of Cynometra cauliflora located in India, Malaysia and Indonesia, according to other data in the east of Malaysia's. The species is rarely cultivated in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Indochina on Pacific and Caribbean islands.
System
Cynometra cauliflora is a species in the genus Cynometra that in the legume family ( Fabaceae ) of the subfamily of carob plants ( Caesalpinioideae ), Tribe Detarieae is assigned. It was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum. A synonym of the species is Cynometra acutifolia S.Vidal. Cynometra cauliflora is the only species of the genus, which is used as a food plant.
Use
The ripe seeds are nutritious, raw, eaten boiled or roasted. Add sugar water boiled, they can be used as a compote. Young pods are still very sour and are inserted as pickles, for seasoning food or used as an ingredient in sauces and spice pastes.
The species grows in tropical climates on sunny and semi- shady locations. Dry periods, thereby promoting fruit development. They are cultivated in orchards and home gardens and grown from seed. The fruits are harvested depending on the use in premature or mature state.