Flacourtia indica (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)
| Flacourtia indica (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007) |
Flacourtia indica Flacourtiaceae Indigenous
Common names
- English: Indian plum
Ecology
Widespread in tropical and subtropical Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, Malaysia as well as other parts of Asia. Cultivated for its fruit it can be grown in a variety of climates and soils, but prefers sandy soil, a high water table and full sun. In Ethiopia it grows from the coastal plains to the highlands in a variety of climates and soils but is never very common. It does well in Dry and Moist Kolla and Weyna Dega agroclimatic zones in almost all regions, 400–2,100 m. It prefers sandy soils, a high water table and full sun.
Uses
Firewood, timber (tools), farm tools, fodder (leaves), food (fruit), medicine (leaves, bark, roots), live fence.
Description
A deciduous spiny shrub usually 3–5 m; spines on the trunk sometimes branched, up to 12 cm long. BARK: Rough, pale yellow-grey, branches may have a yellow powder at first.
- LEAVES: Variable in size, oval, to 12 cm, edge toothed, 4–7 pairs of veins clear on both surfaces, stalk to 2 cm.
- FLOWERS: Small, cream, fragrant; male flowers with very many yellow stamens, female flowers with a divided spreading style.
- FRUIT: Red-purple-black, round and juicy but acid, to 2.5 cm across, persisting on the tree. They contain up to 10 small seeds, hard and flat.
Propagation
Seedlings, wildings.
Seed
- Treatment: Cracking or piercing the hard seed coat may improve germination.
Management
Coppicing, pruning, pollarding. Trim if planted as a fence.
Remarks
Sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit
