Spondias dulcis | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
(unranked): | Angiosperms |
(unranked): | Eudicots |
(unranked): | Rosids |
Order: | Sapindales |
Family: | Anacardiaceae |
Genus: | Spondias |
Species: | S. dulcis |
Binomial name | |
Spondias dulcis L. |
Spondias dulcis (syn. Spondias cytherea), known commonly as ambarella, or jew plum is an equatorial or tropical tree, with edible fruit containing a fibrous pit. It is known by many other names in various regions, including kedondong in Indonesia and in Malaysia, buah long long among the Chinese population in Singapore, pomme cythere in Trinidad and Tobago,Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Martinique,June plum in Bermuda and Jamaica,mangotín in Panama, juplon in Costa Rica, golden apple in Barbados and Guyana, golden plum in Belize, jobo indio in Venezuela, cajá-manga and cajarana in Brazil and São Tomé and Príncipe, quả cóc in Vietnam, /məkaʔ/ (ម្កាក់) in Cambodia, manzana de oro in Dominican Republic, cas mango in Cameroon,Maldives, Vī in Tonga and Hawaii.අඹරෙල්ල ambarella in Sri Lanka
This fast-growing tree can reach up to 20 m (66 ft) in its native range of Melanesia and Polynesia; however, it usually averages 10–12 m (30–40 ft) in other areas. Spondias dulcis has deciduous, pinnate leaves, 20–60 cm (8–24 in) in length, composed of 9 to 25 glossy, elliptic or obovate-oblong leaflets 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in) long, which are finely toothed toward the apex. The tree produces small, inconspicuous white flowers in terminal panicles. Its oval fruits, 6–9 cm (2.4–3.5 in) long, are borne in bunches of 12 or more on a long stalk. Over several weeks, the fruit fall to the ground while still green and hard, then turn golden-yellow as they ripen. According to Morton (1987), "some fruits in the South Sea Islands weigh over 500 g (1 lb) each."