Atalantia buxifolia
(Poiret) Oliv. ex Benth.
Chinese box-orange
no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子
(c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman
no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves, Fruit
The leaves are used in the preparation of yeast cakes. The fruit is also edible.
Where to Find It
It is a subtropical plant. It is best in full sun. It will grow well in alkaline or salty soils. It is often in thickets near the ocean. It grows up to 300 m above sea level.
Asia, China*, Hawaii, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, USA, Vietnam,
How to Identify
A small spiny tree. It grows 6 m tall. The leaves are alternate and reduced to a single oblong leaflet 2.5 cm long. It is dark green. The flowers are very small and pure white. They are in clusters or 2-3 in the axils of the leaves. They have a scent. The fruit are round, black and about 1 cm long. They have several oval seeds.
How to Grow
It can be grown by seeds or cuttings.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Atalantia buxifolia, synonym Severinia buxifolia, is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae, related to Citrus and Citropsis. Its common names include Chinese box-orange, box orange or boxthorn. It is native to southern China. It produces small black berries that resemble black currants. The fruits are eaten by birds that disperse its seeds. It is an evergreen in the wild.
Names & Synonyms
Jerukan cina, Tsau ping lak
References (7)
- Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 47
- Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 221 (As Severinia buxifolia)
- Index sem. hort. neapol. app. 3. 1840 (As Severinia buxifolia)
- Martin, F. W., et al, 1987, Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics. USDA Handbook 642 p 75 (As Severinia buxifolia)
- Staples, G.W. and Herbst, D.R., 2005, A tropical Garden Flora. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. p 510 (As Severinia buxifolia)
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 714
- Tanaka, (As Severinia buxifolia)
