Pithecellobium dulce
(Roxb.) Benth.
Madras thorn fruit
(c) Francisco Farriols Sarabia, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Francisco Farriols Sarabia
(c) Jean-Philippe BASUYAUX, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jean-Philippe BASUYAUX
(c) Francisco Farriols Sarabia, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Francisco Farriols Sarabia
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Aril, Pods, Seeds, Seeds - oil
The pods contain sweet, pulpy flesh surrounding the seed, which can be eaten raw, boiled, or made into a refreshing drink reminiscent of lemonade. The pods are 10cm long by 1.5cm wide; when mature they split open along the lower suture, exposing the edible pulp. Because of this, the fruit does not keep long and should be consumed within a few days. The seeds themselves can be eaten raw or used in curries. An oil is also obtained from the seed.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It is native to C and S America. Common and widely distributed throughout the Philippines. It suits dry coastal areas probably below 800 m altitude. It can grow in low and medium altitudes and in wet and dry areas. It needs light. It can tolerate drought. It can grow on a range of soil types. Well drained soils are best but it can grow in clay soils. In Nepal it grows to about 700 m altitude. It can grow in arid places. In XTBG Yunnan.
Africa, Andaman Is., Andes, Antilles, Argentina, Asia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central America, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo DR, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Gambia, Ghana, Guam, Guatemala, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mariana Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico*, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad-Tobago, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A shrub or small tree. It grows up to 10 m tall but can be 15-25 m tall. The trunk can be 50-60 cm across. There are many branches. The branches are spiny. These are in pairs and are 4-10 mm long. The young leaves are usually reddish. The leaves are twice compound with four leaflets. There is a small spine between the leaflets. The flowers are greenish white in rounded dense heads about 1 cm across. The pods are often twisted spirally. They are 10 to 18 cm long and red when ripe. They are about 1 cm wide and contain 6 to 8 black shiny seeds surrounded by a white to red fleshy aril or pulp. The seeds are flattened and 9 mm long by 7 mm wide and 2 mm thick.
Nutrition Score: 52/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit-aril dried | 7.8 | 326 | 78 | 3 | 25 | 133 | 0.5 | — |
How to Grow
Plants can be grown by seeds or cuttings. Seed takes 2 weeks to germinate. Plants can be grown by marcottage, grafting or budding. Pods can be harvested by climbing or using long bamboo poles.
Propagation: Seed germinates in about 2 weeks with no pre-treatment required — soaking actually reduces germination rates and heating kills the seeds. Best sown into nursery beds and planted out at around 12 months old. Plants often self-seed, especially around the margins of cultivated fields. Cuttings, air layering, and grafting are also viable propagation methods.
Medicinal Uses
The leaves can be applied as a plaster to relieve pain including that from venereal sores, and may relieve convulsions. A paste of the leaves applied externally treats muscular swellings caused by inflammation. Leaves taken with salt can cure indigestion, and in larger doses can induce abortion. The root bark is an effective remedy for diarrhoea and dysentery. The bark is used as a febrifuge. Fruit pulp is taken orally to stop blood flow in haemoptysis. Seed juice inhaled through the nostrils relieves chest congestion, and pulverised seeds are ingested for internal ulcers.
Other Uses
Because it can fix atmospheric nitrogen and grow on degraded or denuded land, this tree is used to afforest and reclaim poor soils. Regularly trimmed, it forms a dense, nearly impenetrable thorny hedge useful for excluding livestock and creating shelterbelts; for hedging, seeds may be sown in two rows at 15 x 30cm spacing and commonly mixed with species such as Ziziphus mauritiana and Azadirachta indica. A yellow dye is obtained from the bark, which contains about 25% tannin; the seeds and leaves are also sources of tannin. Wounded bark exudes a mucilaginous reddish-brown gum similar to gum arabic. The seeds contain about 20% of a greenish oil which, after refining and bleaching, can be used in soap making and as a substitute for kapok and groundnut seed oils. The heartwood is yellowish or reddish-brown with a yellowish sapwood. The wood is strong, durable, soft and flexible, moderately hard, and usually straight-grained, weighing about 590 kg/m³; it saws easily and finishes to a smooth surface, though it is not of very high quality. The tree coppices vigorously but has low calorific value (5,177–5,600 kcal/kg) and burns smokily, making it a poor-quality fuel; in parts of India it is nonetheless planted and harvested to fuel brick kilns.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Pithecellobium dulce, commonly known as Manila tamarind, Madras thorn, monkeypod tree or camachile, is a species of flowering plant in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to the Pacific Coast and adjacent highlands of Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It is also sometimes known as monkeypod, but that name is also used for several other plants, including Samanea saman. It is an introduced species and extensively naturalized in the Caribbean and Florida, as well as the Philippines and Guam via the Manila galleons. It has also been introduced to Cambodia, Thailand and South Asia, It is considered an invasive species in Hawaii.
Production
Plants grow quickly. They can be pruned and cut back to regrow. Seedling trees take 5-8 years to start producing fruit. Pods ripen 2-3 months after flowering. Pods split open at maturity so they need to be eaten within a few days.
Other Information
The pulp is eaten especially by children. It is sold in markets in the Philippines. It is cultivated.
Notes
Also as Mimosaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Ai-terak, Aluwa, Am'pul tuk, Ampil tuk, Asam belanda, Asam koranji, Asam kranji, Asam tjina, Asem londo, Bak kaam lian, Blackbead, Camachile, Chichbilai, Coorkapooly, Cuamuchil, Damortis, Dekani tentul, Dhekhani babul, Borakh chinch, Ghaf al-bahr, Guamochil, Guamuchil, Guayamochil, Huamuchil, Jalebi, Jangal jalebi, Jangali jalabi, Jangle jalebi, Jilapi phal, Jilapi phul, Jilepi phal, Jungle jalebi, Kaam lian, Kala-magyi, Kamachile, Kamachili, Kamanchilis, Kamatsile, Karapilly, Karka puli, Karoenga, Kashi helebeli, Kataiya, Keo tay, Khaam th'eed, Khai babla, Kikar, Kodukkaapuli, Konapuli, Korukkapuli, Kottamphuli, Kukafalli, Kway-tanyeng, Kyeng-preng, Kywe-danyin, Madrasthorn, Makham-thet, Manila tamarind, Mchongoma, Me keo, Mhakam-khong, Mkwaju wa kihindi, Monkeypod, Opiuma, Payande bobo, Pinzan, Pohon asem londo, Seema chinta, Seemae hunase, Sima chinta, Simachinta, Simakoina, Sweet-inga, Tayok-magyi, Tierra espina, Vilayati babul, Vilayati chinch, Vilayati imli, Yacure
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