Phyllanthus acidus
(L.) Skeels
Grosella, Otaheite gooseberry
(c) Nasser Halaweh, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Nasser Halaweh
(c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
(c) Forest & Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves, Vegetable
Various parts of the plant are used for food. In Bangladesh, India and Indonesia, the cooked leaves are eaten. While the fruit is eaten fresh, and is sometimes used as flavoring for other dishes in Indonesia, it is generally regarded as too tart to eat by itself in its natural form and is processed further. It is candied in sugar or pickled in salt, used in chutney, relish or preserves. In the Philippines, it is used to make vinegar as well as eaten raw, soaked in salt or vinegar-salt solution and sold along the roadside. It is candied as well, usually stored in jars with syrup. They make these into a syrup in Malaysia. Liberally sugared, it is also used to make fruit juice. In Thailand it is used as an ingredient to make Som tam, to make pickled, boil in syrup (Ma-Yom Chuam).
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
They are a tropical plant. It can grow in the hot humid tropical lowlands. They suit areas with a seasonal dry period. In Nepal it grows up to 250 m altitude. They are widely distributed near towns and sometimes cultivated for the edible fruit. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.
Africa, Andes, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil*, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Central America, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guam, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Laos, Madagascar*, Malaysia, Maldives, Mariana Islands, Marquesas, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Samoa, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, South America, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Uganda, USA, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies,
How to Identify
A medium sized tree. It grows up to 2-10 m tall. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves are smooth and 20-40 cm long and divided. The leaflets are light green and rounded at the base and pointed at the tip. The leaflets are alternate and pointed at the tip, rounded at the base and 2 to 7 cm long. Nodules develop on branches where leaves have fallen. Leaves tend to be clustered near the ends of branches. Flowers develop from these. Flowers are small and pink and crowded in clusters from these nodules. Male and female flowers are on separate trees. The fruit is medium sized, with 6 lobes, pale green but yellow when mature and sour. They are 1 to 1.5 cm across. The surface of the skin is smooth but the fruit are slightly ridged. It contains a bony hard grooved stone with 6-8 seeds.
Nutrition Score: 27/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 91.4 | 155 | 37 | 1 | 3.2 | 8 | 3.2 | — |
How to Grow
Trees can be grown from seed. Trees can be grown by cleft grafting. They can also be grown from cuttings and air layering.
Propagation: Seed - easily germinated, it is the most common way of propagating the plant. Greenwood cuttings. Budding. Air layering.
Medicinal Uses
The root is an active purgative. An infusion of the root is taken to alleviate asthma. An extract from the root is used to cure skin diseases especially to bring relief from itching. The leaves are used as one of the ingredients in a Thai remedy to control fevers. A leaf decoction is applied to urticaria. An infusion of the leaves is used as a dieting aid for people who are dieting and wish to remain slim. The latex is credited with emetic and purgative activity. The bark is heated with coconut oil and spread on eruptions on feet and hands. A decoction of the bark is used to treat bronchial catarrh. The fruit is used as a laxative. They are also taken as a liver tonic to enrich the blood. The juice of the fruit is instilled in the eyes to treat eye-troubles. The seeds are cathartic.
Other Uses
The bark is used in India as a tanning agent. An extract from the plant has shown nematicidal activity against the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. The reddish-brown wood is fine-grained; of moderate weight; fairly hard; strong; tough; and durable if seasoned. It takes a good polish. Seldom available in any but small sizes, it can be used for utensils and other small objects. The wood is used for fuel.
Wikipedia
Source ↗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 small edible yellow berries in the family Phyllanthaceae. Despite its name, the plant does not resemble the gooseberry, except for the acidity of its fruits.
Production
It is fast growing. Trees produce after about 4 years. Fruiting occurs throughout the year. Fruit mature in 90-100 days.
Other Information
They are not the most popular fruit and are often left unused. The fruit are sold in markets. It is cultivated.
Notes
There are about 600-800 Phyllanthus species. They are mostly in the tropics. Fruit are very acid. There are 200 Phyllanthus species in tropical America. These were previously in the Euphorbiaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Amla, Arinelli, Aura, Bai mak nyom, Bangkiling, Ceremoi, Cermai, Chalmeri, Chermai, Chum ruot, Goambili, Gooseberry Tree, Groselha, Grosella, Grosellero, Harfaruri, Harphareuri, Holpholi, Hor bori, Iba, Indian gooseberry, Kantuet, Kanturk srok, Kawl-sun-hlu, Kumpira waitni, Lewathai, Ma yom, Mak-hkam-sang-paw, Mak nkom, Mak nyom, Malay apple, Malay gooseberry, Manzana lora, Mayom, Nelli, Nellipuli, Orbori, Orboroi, Peras, Pom lokhi, Pora amlokhi, Ratta nelli, Star gooseberry, Takeri thelu, Takiri thelu, Thinbaw-zibyu, Vini
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