Spondias acida (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Spondias acida Blume

Family: Anacardiaceae

Synonyms

• Poupartia dulcis Blume.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: dondongan (Javanese)

Distribution

Peninsular Malaysia, Java, Borneo.

Uses

The acid fruits can be used as a flavouring for food.

Observations

• Large tree, up to 50 m tall with a bole up to 36 m and a diameter up to 1 m; buttresses 2-2.5 m tall, spreading out 3 m, rather thin.
• Leaves aggregated at the apices of twigs, imparipinnate, appearing after the fruit matures; rachis about 30 cm long; leaflets opposite, broadly elliptical, up to 10 cm × 5 cm, very asymmetrical, abruptly acuminate, coriaceous, with 15-20 pairs of veins.
• Inflorescence an axillary panicle, up to 30 cm long; pedicel 2-3 mm long.
• Flowers 5-merous, white, small; stamens 10; ovary 5-locular, styles 5.
• Fruit an ellipsoidal drupe, 2-2.5 cm × 1.5-2 cm, deep orange, glossy or dull; mesocarp succulent, orange; endocarp enveloped by a fibrous cocoon with 5 longitudinal distinct fibres.

S. acida occurs in tropical lowland rain forest, often on limestone formations; fruiting is abundant every year, but the tree is rather rare. Easily propagated from cuttings. S. acida has been confused with S. pinnata (Koenig ex L.f.) Kurz, S. malayana Kosterm. and S. novoguineensis Kosterm.

Selected sources

• Kostermans, A.J.G.H., 1991. Kedondong, ambarella, amra. The Spondiadeae (Anacardiaceae) in Asia and the Pacific area. Foundation Useful Plants of Asia. Vol. 1. Herbarium Bogoriense, Bogor, Indonesia. 100 pp.

Authors

P.C.M. Jansen