Spondias cytherea
Content
Description
Tree usually up to 25 m high and 45 cm ø, sometimes up to 45 m high and 90 cm ø.
Bark greyish, light to reddish brown, shallowly fissured.
Leaves with 4-10 pairs of leaflets, glabrous;
Inflorescences appearing before leaves or accompanied by very young ones only, paniculate, terminal, up to 35 cm long, glabrous, branches up to 20 cm long;
Flowers cream or white.
Petals ovate-oblong, 2½-2¾ by 1-1¼ mm.
Stamens 2 mm;
Ovary subglobose, c. ¾ mm ø, 5-(or 4-)celled;
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, Indo-Australian and other tropics present, Indo-Malesia present
Throughout Indo-Malesiat also widely cultivated in the Indo-Australian and other tropics.
It is impossible to give the exact area of indigenous occurrence of the 'Otaheite Apple', as this species is so much planted, also in native clearings, that there is little means to distinguish between indigenous and naturalized occurrence. But in many islands it is found in primary forest, notably in New Guinea where such trees may be rather common and of great size (30-40 m tall).
It is impossible to give the exact area of indigenous occurrence of the 'Otaheite Apple', as this species is so much planted, also in native clearings, that there is little means to distinguish between indigenous and naturalized occurrence. But in many islands it is found in primary forest, notably in New Guinea where such trees may be rather common and of great size (30-40 m tall).
Ecology
OVERBECK recorded (, photogr.) severe attacks by caterpillars leading to complete leafless trees. The leaves suffer sometimes severe attacks by a specific beetle (OCHSE & BAKH. Fruit, 1931, 20).
According to OCHSE kedongdong flowers from June to August, and fruits are ripe from January to April.
Uses
According to HEYNE l.c. the timber is useless. The chief use is the fruit which is mostly used as compote. HEYNE says that it may have perspectives to become popular if further domesticated. The tree may fruit when 4 years old (BURKILL). Young leaves are eaten steamed ().
Notes
In New Guinea there is a wild form with smaller, more sour, but edible fruits ('kedondong utan' = wild kedondong).
The endocarp of good cultivars of S. cytherea has a rather 'small', hard, inner zone which connects to a (delicate) peripheral zone by numerous, radiating, straight or curved, spinose and fibrous processes. The outer zone can be easily torn or peeled off from the inner one. It has been illustrated without the outer or peripheral zone (cf. GAERTNER, l.c., t. 103; ); actually, it also possesses such a zone or layer. Sometimes, one may find (bare) endocarps without the peripheral layer preserved in the herbarium; such endocarpa, which might have been cleaned by eating or by washing away the parenchymatous tissue, may give a wrong impression of its structure.
Fortunately, I found some endocarps (e.g. POWELL 58, L), evidently cleaned by nature or by bacteria, with a beautifully preserved peripheral layer of meshes (); such a layer can also be observed from a preserved, dried fruit by carefully removing the exocarp and mesocarp. Fresh fruit can easily be cleaned by boiling in a solution of 5% NaOH to show the peripheral layer of the endocarp.
The endocarp of good cultivars of S. cytherea has a rather 'small', hard, inner zone which connects to a (delicate) peripheral zone by numerous, radiating, straight or curved, spinose and fibrous processes. The outer zone can be easily torn or peeled off from the inner one. It has been illustrated without the outer or peripheral zone (cf. GAERTNER, l.c., t. 103; ); actually, it also possesses such a zone or layer. Sometimes, one may find (bare) endocarps without the peripheral layer preserved in the herbarium; such endocarpa, which might have been cleaned by eating or by washing away the parenchymatous tissue, may give a wrong impression of its structure.
Fortunately, I found some endocarps (e.g. POWELL 58, L), evidently cleaned by nature or by bacteria, with a beautifully preserved peripheral layer of meshes (); such a layer can also be observed from a preserved, dried fruit by carefully removing the exocarp and mesocarp. Fresh fruit can easily be cleaned by boiling in a solution of 5% NaOH to show the peripheral layer of the endocarp.
Citation
LANE-POOLE 1925: For. Res.: 108
ROYEN 1964: p. 39. – In: Man. For. Trees Papua & N. G.: f. 15
LECOMTE 1908 – In: Fl. Gén. I.-C.: 29
Hook.f. 1876 – In: Fl. Br. Ind.: 42
GAERTN. 1791: p. 101. – In: Fruct.: t. 103
Koord. 1898: Minah.: 412
KRAEMER 1951: Trees W. Pac. Reg.: 206
BACK. 1911: Schoolfl.: 281
WHITE & FRANCIS 1927 – In: Proc. R. Soc. Queensl.: 237
ADELB. 1948 – In: Blumea: 326
FORST.F. 1786: Prod.: 34
WARB. 1891 – In: Bot. Jahrb.: 362
HEYNE 1927: Nutt. Pl.: 974
VERSTEEGH 1971 – In: Med. Landb. Hogesch. Wageningen: 56
K. & V. 1896 – In: Bijdr.: 108
Engl. 1883 – In: DC., Mon. Phan. 4: 246
K.SCH. 1898 – In: Notizbl. Berl.-Dahl.: 125
Ridl. 1906 – In: J. Str. Br. R. As. Soc.: 186
Merr. 1954 – In: Chron. Bot.: 360
CRAIB 1926 – In: Fl. Siam. En.: 355
Corner 1940: Ways. Trees: 115: Atlas t. 14
BURK. 1935: Dict.: 2067
K.SCH. & LAUT. 1900: Fl. Schutzgeb.: 411
BACK. & BAKH.F. 1965 – In: Fl. Java: 151
OCHSE & BAKH. 1931: Fruit: 19: t. 8
AIRY SHAW & FORMAN 1967: p. 10. – In: Kew Bull.: f. 2: 3 & 4
LAUT. 1920 – In: Bot. Jahrb.: 355
Miq. 1859 – In: Fl. Ind. Bat.: 641
Merr. 1917: Int. Rumph.: 332
DE WIT 1959 – In: Rumph.: 406
BACK. 1907: Fl. Bat.: 374