Otaheite gooseberry

Otaheite gooseberry

Taxobox



image_caption = fruits
name = Otaheite gooseberry
regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Malpighiales
familia = Phyllanthaceae
tribus = Phyllantheae
subtribus = Flueggeinae
genus = "Phyllanthus"
species = "P. acidus"
synonyms = "Phyllanthus distichus" Müll.Arg. "Cicca acida" Merr. "Cicca disticha" L. "Averrhoa acida" L.
binomial = "Phyllanthus acidus"
binomial_authority = (L.) Skeels

The Otaheite gooseberry ("Phyllanthus acidus"), also called Malay gooseberry, Tahitian gooseberry, country gooseberry, star gooseberry, West India gooseberry or simply gooseberry tree, is the only tree with edible fruit in the Phyllanthaceae family. Despite its name, the plant does not resemble the gooseberry, except for the acidity of its fruits. It is mostly cultivated for ornamentation.

Description

The plant is a curious intermediary between shrubs and tree, reaching 2 to 9 m in height. The tree's dense and bushy crown is composed of thickish, tough main branches, at the end of which are clusters of deciduous, greenish, 15-to-30-cm long branchlets. The branchlets bear alternate leaves that are ovate or lanceolate in form, with short petioles and pointed ends. The leaves are 2-7.5 cm long and thin, they are green and smooth on the upperside and blue-green on the underside. In general, the Otaheite gooseberry very much looks like the bilimbi tree.

The flowers can be male, female or hermaphrodite. They are small and pinkish and appear in clusters in 5-to-12.5-cm long panicles. Flowers are formed at leafless parts of the main branches, at the upper part of the tree. The fruits are numerous, oblate, with 6 to 8 ribs, develop so densely that they actually form spectacular masses. They are pale yellow or white, waxy, crisp and juicy, and very sour. It has only one seed in each fruit.

Origin and distribution

This tropical or subtropical species is thought to originate in Madagascar, then carried to the East Indies. Now it is generally found in Southeast Asia countries, such as Southern Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and Northern Malaya. It also occurs in the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues and also in Guam, Hawaii and several other Pacific islands. In 1793, the plant was introduces to Jamaica from Timor. From there, it progressively spread to the whole Caribbean region, as far as the Bahamas or Bermuda. It is now naturalized in Central and South America.

In the United States, the tree is occasionally found as a curiosity in Florida. For instance, it is resistant enough to fruit in Tampa.

Cultivation and culinary interest

The Otaheite gooseberry prefers moist soil. Although it usually grows from seeds, the tree can also be multiplied from budding, greenwood cuttings or air-layers. It bears two crops per year in South India: one in April-May and the other in August-September. Elsewhere, it is mainly harvested in January.

The juice can be used in beverage, or the fruit pickled in sugar. When cooked with plenty of sugar, the fruit turns ruby red and produces a kind of jelly, which is called "mứt chùm ruột" in Vietnamese. It can also be salted.

The fruit is called "Grosella" in Puerto Rico. Since the fruit is tart, it if often eaten in "Dulce de Grosellas". The preparation of this dessert consist in simmering the berries with sugar until they are soft and turn red in color. The liquid from the cooking is also used as a beverage.

Miscellaneous

The Otaheite gooseberry is observed to be attacked by the Phyllanthus caterpillar, above all in Florida. This pest feeds on the bark and young leaves, causing total defoliation in just a few days if there is no sufficiently early application of pesticides.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Otaheite-gooseberry — rūgštusis lapainis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Karpažolinių šeimos daržovinis, dekoratyvinis, maistinis, vaisinis, vaistinis augalas (Phyllanthus acidus), paplitęs Pietų Amerikoje. Naudojamas gėrimams gaminti. atitikmenys: lot. Cicca… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • otaheite gooseberry — noun Usage: usually capitalized O 1. : a tropical African and Asiatic tree (Phyllanthus acidus) of the family Euphorbiaceae 2. : the acid edible fruit of the Otaheite gooseberry …   Useful english dictionary

  • Otaheite gooseberry — Phyllanthus (E) …   EthnoBotanical Dictionary

  • Gooseberry (disambiguation) — The gooseberry is a species of Ribes , native to Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia.Gooseberry may also refer to:* Barbados gooseberry, an unusual cactus * Cape gooseberry, a species of Physalis indigenous to South America *… …   Wikipedia

  • gooseberry-tree — rūgštusis lapainis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Karpažolinių šeimos daržovinis, dekoratyvinis, maistinis, vaisinis, vaistinis augalas (Phyllanthus acidus), paplitęs Pietų Amerikoje. Naudojamas gėrimams gaminti. atitikmenys: lot. Cicca… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • gooseberry tree — noun : otaheite gooseberry …   Useful english dictionary

  • Star gooseberry — The common name Star gooseberry actually refers to two distinct species of plant:* Phyllanthus acidus , the Otaheite gooseberry * Sauropus androgynus , the Katuk …   Wikipedia

  • Phyllanthus acidus — fruits Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae …   Wikipedia

  • List of Phyllanthus species — This is an alphabetical list of species belonging to the genus Phyllanthus (family Phyllanthaceae).A* P. abnormis ( P. drummondii ) Drummond s leaf flower * P. abnormis var. riograndensis * P. acidus ( Cicca disticha , Cicca acida , Averrhoa… …   Wikipedia

  • Phyllanthus — For the bird genus of the same name, see Capuchin Babbler. Not to be confused with Philanthus. Phyllanthus Indian gooseberry, Phyllanthus emblica …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”