Byrsonima coriacea (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Byrsonima coriacea (Schwartz) Kunth var. spicata (L.C. Richard) Niedenzu

Family: Malpighiaceae

Synonyms

• Malpighia spicata Cav.,
• Byrsonima spicata (Cav.) L.C. Richard.

Vernacular names

• Locust berry, hilly hock (En)
• Bois chardon, mauriat (Fr).

Distribution

West Indies, Central and tropical South America. Occasionally cultivated in Java.

Uses

The fruit pulp is eaten raw or preserved and is sometimes used to flavour porridges. The tree is also planted as an ornamental.

Observations

• Small tree or large shrub, 12-15 m tall, stem to 30 cm thick.
• Fruit a globose drupe, 1-2 cm in diameter, yellow when mature.
• Seed globose, 8-10 mm.

In primary and secondary rain forest. Propagation by seed. Requiring a humus-rich soil and a sunny location.

Selected sources

• Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink, R.C., 1963 1968. Flora of Java. 3 Volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands.

• Fouqué, A., 1972-1974. Espèces fruitières d'Amérique tropicale. Fruits 27-29.

• Mansfeld, R. & Schultze Motel, J., 1986. Verzeichnis landwirtschaftlicher und gärtnerischer Kuturpflanzen. 2nd ed. 4 Volumes. Springer Verlag, Berlin. 1998 pp.

Authors

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