Amomum lappaceum (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Amomum lappaceum Ridley

Family: Zingiberaceae

• Malaysia: tepus, lempus, apush (Peninsular).

Peninsular Malaysia.

The fruits, resembling rambutans, are edible. The seeds are used as a flavouring for food (as a wild cardamom).

• Robust perennial herb, up to 3 m tall, with rhizomes at or near the surface of the ground often supported on short stilt roots.
• Leaves lanceolate, up to 53 cm × 9 cm.
• Fruit berry-like, at base of inflorescence, near to rhizomes on 2 cm long pedicels, ellipsoid, ca. 3.5 cm × 2.5 cm, green, covered with large fleshy spines.

• Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. 2nd ed. 2 Volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 2444 pp.

• Holttum, R.E., 1950. The Zingiberaceae of the Malay Peninsula. The Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 13: 1 249.

• Tyozaburo Tanaka & Sauke Nakao (Editors), 1976. Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing Co., Tokyo. 924 pp.

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