Elaeocarpus calomala (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Elaeocarpus calomala (Blanco) Merr.

Family: Elaeocarpaceae

Synonyms

• Elaeocarpus pustulatus Merr.,
• Elaeocarpus villosiusculus Warb.

Vernacular names

• Philippines: hunggong-mabolo (Filipino), kalomala, bongani (Tagalog), kunakun (Bisaya), karukatol (Negrito).

Distribution

Endemic in the Philippines.

Uses

The fruit is edible, rather dry, subacid and astringent. The fibre of the inner bark is sometimes used to make rope.

Observations

• Tree, up to 25 m tall and trunk diameter 60 cm.
• Leaves alternate, ovate, 6-15 cm long.
• Flowers white, fragrant, in axillary racemes.
• Fruit an ovoid drupe, 2.5-3.5 cm × 2 cm, purplish to red-black, smooth, containing a single rough hard stone.

In primary forests, up to 1300 m altitude.

Selected sources

• Brown, W.H., 1951-1957. Useful plants of the Philippines. Reprint of the 1941-1943 ed. 3 Volumes. Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Technical Bulletin 10. Bureau of Printing, Manila, the Philippines.

• FAO, 1984. Food and fruit-bearing forest species 2: examples from Southeastern Asia. FAO Forestry paper 44/2, Rome. 167 pp.

• Merrill, E.D., 1923 1925. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants. 4 Volumes. Government of the Philippine Islands, Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Bureau of Printing, Manila.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen, J. Jukema, L.P.A. Oyen, T.G. van Lingen