Salacia oblonga

Wall.

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The green fruit are eaten.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant

Asia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A straggling shrub. The leaves are oval to sword shaped. The flowers are greenish-yellow. The fruit are round and 3 cm across. There are 1-8 seeds.

Medicinal Uses

Oblong leaf salacia is described as a treatment for diabetes in the traditional medical systems of India and Sri Lanka. The closely related species Salacia reticulata and Salacia chinesis are also used for people with diabetes.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Salacia oblonga, known as oblong leaf salacia in English, ekanayaka in Kannada, ponkorandi in Malayalam, ponkoranti in Tamil, and ekanayake in Tulu, is a climbing shrub that tends to strangle other plants. It is native to India and Sri Lanka.