Phyllanthus acidus
Phyllanthus acidus | |
---|---|
Fruits | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Phyllanthaceae |
Genus: | Phyllanthus |
Species: | P. acidus
|
Binomial name | |
Phyllanthus acidus | |
Synonyms | |
Phyllanthus distichus |
Phyllanthus acidus, known as the Otaheite gooseberry, Malay gooseberry, Tahitian gooseberry, country gooseberry, star gooseberry, starberry, arbari, West India gooseberry, Grosella, or simply gooseberry tree, is one of the trees with edible small yellow berries fruit in the family Phyllanthaceae. Despite its name, the plant does not resemble the gooseberry, except for the acidity of its fruits. It tastes sour and tart.
Description
Phyllanthus acidus is an intermediary between a shrub and tree, reaching 2 to 9 m (6½ to 30 ft) high.
The flowers can be male, female or hermaphrodite.[2] They are small and pinkish and appear in clusters in 5-to-12.5-cm long panicles. Flowers are formed at leafless parts of the main branches, at the upper part of the tree. The fruits are numerous, oblate, with 6 to 8 ribs, and densely clustered. They are pale yellow or white, waxy, crisp and juicy, and very sour. 4 to 6 seeds are contained in a stone at the center of each fruit.[2][3]
Origin and distribution
This tropical or subtropical species is found throughout Asia and also in the Caribbean region, Central and South America. In Puerto Rico is called "Grosella".[4]
While its origin is uncertain, the species may have originated in Madagascar.[2][3][4] It was found in other parts of South Asia early; according to Eduardo Quisumbing, it was brought to the Philippines in prehistoric times.[2] It spread across the Indian Ocean to Réunion and Mauritius and crossed the Pacific to Hawaii.[2][3] It expanded to the Caribbean in 1793, when William Bligh carried the plant from Timor to Jamaica.[3]
The tree is common in
Cultivation
The Otaheite gooseberry prefers moist soil.[2] It can be cultivated in a variety of ways—budding, cutting and air-layering—in addition to the usual seed growth. The tree is cultivated for its ornamental value,[5] but also for food and medicinal purposes. While it produces some fruit throughout the year, it is mainly harvested in January except in South India, where it bears crops in April–May and again in August–September.[2] As the fruit does not soften when ripe, it is harvested when the fruit begins to drop.[6]
Nutrition
P. acidus contains
Uses
Culinary
Various parts of the plant are used for food. In Bangladesh, India and Indonesia, the cooked
Medically
The plant is also used medicinally. The peppered leaves are used to make a
Materials
While the wood is strong and durable if properly treated, the tree is not large and is rarely harvested for wood.[4] If harvested, it is used for small objects such as utensils. In India, the root bark is sometimes used as a tanning agent.[11]
References
- ^
"Phyllanthus acidus information from Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist". Govaerts R. (ed). For a full list of reviewers see: http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/compilersReviewers.do (2011). WCSP: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (version Dec 2010). In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
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: External link in
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- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Center for New Crops & Plants Products. "Otaheite Gooseberry". Purdue University. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4262-0372-5. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-85199-638-7. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ISBN 978-81-7022-301-6. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ Morton, Julia (16 June 1963). "A Fast Growing Vine". The Miami News. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^
Leeya, Yuttapong; Mulvany, Michael J.; Queiroz, Emerson F.; Marston, Andrew; Hostettmann, Kurt; Jansakul, Chaweewan (2010). "Hypotensive activity of an n-butanol extract and their purified compounds from leaves of Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels in rats". European Journal of Pharmacology. 649 (1–3): 301–13. PMID 20868659.
- S2CID 5793585.
- ^ Miller, Wilhelm (1901). Cyclopedia of American Horticulture. The Macmillan Company. p. 1318. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ISBN 978-93-86739-51-3.
- ^ "Otaheite Gooseberry, Phyllanthus acidus". www.growables.org. Retrieved 2023-02-23.