Mischocarpus pentapetalus (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Mischocarpus pentapetalus (Roxb.) Radlk.

Family: Sapindaceae

Synonyms

• Mischocarpus sumatranus Blume,
• Mischocarpus fuscescens Blume.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: rambutan pucat (Bahasa), bebak (Javanese)
• Malaysia: rambutan pacat, bekak, senkuang
• Philippines: dapil (Tagalog), ambalag (Ilokano), baliang-baliang (Negrito)
• Thailand: phabang (Khin-Nan).

Distribution

From India through Indo-China to China and throughout Malesia (New Guinea excepted).

Uses

The fruit is edible.

Observations

• Shrub or tree, up to 15(-25) m tall.
• Leaves with 2-12 leaflets.
• Inflorescence up to 40 cm long.
• Fruit a subglobose to ellipsoid capsule, up to 3 cm in diameter, reddish, dehiscent.
• Seed enveloped by a fleshy orange arillode.

In primary and secondary forest, up to 2000 m altitude. Fruiting throughout the year, main period in Java: January-March, the Philippines: March-June.

Selected sources

• 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.

• 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.

• van der Ham, R.W.J.M., 1977. A revision of Mischocarpus (Sapindaceae). Blumea 23: 251-288.

Authors

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