Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets

Annona glabra

Edible : Fruit

A small to medium sized tree. It grows 6-12 m high. The leaves are simple and 6-25 cm long. They are alternate. They vary in size. The flowers occur singly. The fruit is large and yellow. It is 70-80 mm across. They occur single in the axils of leaves. There are several seeds inside. These are about 12 mm long. The flesh is orange when ripe and edible.

Distribution : A tropical plant. It grows in a range of tropical countries. It is widely cultivated between 100-200 m altitude in southern China. In Colombia it grows between sea level and 200 m above sea level. It suits the humid lowlands and grows in the mangrove swamps. It can grow in arid places. It can tolerate salt soils. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Yunnan.

Antidesma bunius

Edible : Fruit, Leaves, Spice.

A small bushy tree. It is often 3-6 m tall. It can be up to 15-30 metres high. The leaves tend to be long and narrow and shiny. They are dark green. They are pointed at the tip and more rounded at the base. The leaves are 10-15 cm long by 5-7 cm wide. The male and female flowers are separate, on separate trees. Female flowers producing fruit are on the ends of branches. A spike of dark reddish black berries is produced. The berries are about 1 cm across and have one seed inside. They hang in a large cluster. There are 20-50 in a cluster.

Distribution : A tropical plant. It can probably grow up to 1000 m altitude in the tropics. In Indonesia it grows between 50-1,400 m above sea level. It can stand light frost. They can grow on a variety of soils. They are common and widely distributed in open places and secondary forest throughout the Philippines. It can tolerate salt. It suits the humid tropical lowlands. It suits hardiness zones 10 -12. In XTBG Yunnan.

Bouea macrophylla

Edible : Fruit, Leaves

A medium sized tree. It grows 10-20 m tall. The bark is light brown and cracked. The branches are low and hanging. They can be angular or flattened. The leaves occur opposite one another along the stem. They are simple and oblong. They are 14-30 cm long by 5-8 cm wide. The leaves are opposite one another but each pair is at right angles to the nearby ones. The leaves are rough. The base is wedge shaped and they taper to the tip. The flowers are small and green. They occur in clusters at the ends of branches or in the axils of leaves. These flowering stalks are 4-12 cm long. The fruit are small and oval with one large seed. The fruit are 2.5-5 cm across. They are orange. They have a thin skin and edible flesh. There are several different named kinds.

A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It grows in the humid tropics. It does best in light fertile soil. It grows naturally up to 300 m altitude but has been planted up to 850 m altitude. In Cairns Botanical Gardens.

Byrsonima crassifolia

Edible : Fruit

A medium sized evergreen tree. It grows 2-10 m tall. The bark is cracked. The leaves are simple and opposite. They are 7-15 cm long by 3-7 cm wide. They are rich green and shiny but paler underneath. The veins and leaf stalks are a rusty red colour. The flowers are rich yellow and have a crumpled appearance. The flowers are held in erect, hairy racemes. These are 6-15 cm long. The fruit are small and sweet and green when young but orange-yellow when ripe. They are 1-5 cm across. They have an aroma. They have a thin skin and white, juicy pulp.

A tropical plant. It suits hot tropical lowlands. It is native to C. and S. America. In the Amazon it grows to 2,000 m altitude. It can tolerate some drought and has wind resistance. It suits subtropical climates but is not very hardy. It will grow on poor soils. It can tolerate salty soils. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 9-12

Canella winterana

Edible : Bark-spice, Leaves-spice, Caution

A small tree. It grows 15 m tall. The crown is dense. The leaves are oval or spoon shaped. They are simple and dark green. They are 10 cm long by 4 cm wide and are glossy. They have an aroma. The flowers are in tight clusters at the ends of branches. The flowers have an aroma. They are purple, violet or red. The fruit is a berry 1 cm across. They are bright red and become purple as they ripen.

It is a tropical plant. It is native to the West Indies and Florida. It grows in thickets on dry coastal limestone. It can tolerate drought and some salt. It grows in hardiness zones 9-12

The bark is used as a spice. It has the smell of cinnamon and cloves. It is also used to flavour liqueur. The leaves are also used as a spice. Caution: The bark is also used to procure abortions

Citrus australasica

Edible : Fruit

A shrub or small tree. It grows up to 4-8 m high and spreads 2-5 m across. The bark is dark green. Young growth is often pinkish. The branches are thorny. The leaves are 2-4 cm long by 0.5-1.5 cm wide. They are oval or sword shaped. They are dark green and glossy but paler underneath. The edges of the leaves can be entire, scalloped or have teeth. The tip is blunt. The flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves. They are white or pinkish and about 1.2 cm across. Fruit occur on the previous seasons growth. Fruit are long and finger shaped. They are about 6-12 cm by 1.2-2.4 cm. Fruit colour can be yellow, red, black, or green. The pulp of the fruit is most commonly red but can be yellow or green. The fruit have 5-7 sections. These cells burst open with pressure.

It occurs naturally in Australia in Northen New South Wales and Southern Queensland. It grows in subtropical rainforest as an understorey tree. It grows on a range of soil types. It can tolerate light frosts. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 10-11. Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens. Arboretum Tasmania.

Coccoloba diversifolia

Edible : Fruit

A shrub or small tree. It grows 3-10 m tall. It often has several trunks. The crown is compact and oval. The bark has several colours. It keeps its leaves throughout the year. The leaves vary in shape. The fruit are dark purple They are juicy and acid

It is a tropical plant. It grows along the sea coasts. It can tolerate salt. It is best in light, well-drained soils. It needs a sunny position. It is damaged by drought and frost. It suits hardiness zones 10-11

Delonix regia

Edible : Seeds, Leaves, Flowers, Fruit

A tree which loses its leaves during the year in places with a long dry season. It grows to 12 m tall and spreads to 6 m wide. The trunk is stout and has knots. The bark is thick and greyish brown. The leaves are twice divided and are feathery. The leaves are bright green. They are 30-50 cm long divided into 10-25 pairs of leaflets. The flowers are orange to scarlet. They have 5 club shaped petals. Flowers are 10-13 cm across. The fruit are reddish brown long pods. The pods can be 60 cm long. They are green and flexible when young and hard and brown when mature. They contain mottled yellow seeds which are oblong

A tropical plant. It is native to Madagascar. They are frost tender. They need full sunlight. They need a fertile, moist but well drained soil. The temperatures need to be above 18-21°C for seeds to grow. Trees must have a temperature above 7°C. In Nepal it grows up to 1000 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Other Names :

Ai-akasi, Alamboronala, Diep bong do, Diep tay, Fang daeng, Fang hang nhoung, Flamboyant Tree, Fuaitansanga, Ginimaa, Gold mohur, Golmaar, Gulmohr, Gulmohur, Hahng-nok-yoong, Kngaok barang, Kok fang nyung, Krishnachura, Mak fang, Mayarum, Merqaya, Mjohoro, Mkakaya, Phuong, Phuongvi, Poyon flamboyant, Shima sankesula,

Synonyms :

Poinciana regia Bojer ex Hook.;
Caesalpinia regia (Bojer ex Hook.) D. Dietr.;

Diospyros discolor

Edible : Fruit

A large tree. It can grow to 20 m or more high. Often it is only a small tree. It is a spreading tree with drooping branches. The leaves are smooth but covered with fine soft hairs. They are 7.5-22.5 cm long by 2.5-7.5 cm wide. The leaves are dark green on the top surface and copper coloured underneath. Flowers are in small clusters of 2-3 together in the axils of leaves. Both male and female flowers occur. These are on separate trees. The flowers are cream and have a slight scent. The fruit are round and 5-8 cm across. The fruit colour is pink to brown. It can be dark red or purple. The fruit have short silky hairs and have the sepals still attached. The flesh is white and sweet but has a cheesy unpleasant smell. The fruit are like a flat persimmon but have a velvety appearance. Often fruit contain many large seeds. Seedless fruit also occur.

A tropical and subtropical plant. It suits the hot humid tropical lowlands. Mature trees can withstand light frost for short times. Young trees do not tolerate low temperatures. It is better to have trees in sheltered places protected from cold winds. Slightly acid, moist and free draining soils are best. It can grow in sun or light shade. It cannot tolerate salt. Plants grow naturally in the Philippines. It is common and widely distributed in the forests of the Philippines. It has become established wild in the bush in the Gazelle Peninsula of Papua New Guinea. It grows from sea level to 200m altitude in Taiwan. It suits hardiness zones 9-12

Other Names :

Bilayati gab, Bisbul, Buah choklat, Buah lemak, Buah mantega, Buah mentaga, Buah sakhlat, Butterfruit, Camagong, Chalta, Hong nhung, Kadiba, Kadiba-thi, Kamagong, Marit, Persimo, Persimonio, Pohon bisbul, Tabang, Talang, Tayok-te, Yi se shi,

Synonyms :

Cavanillea mabolo Poir;
Cavanillea philippensis Desr.;
Diospyros blancoi A. DC.;
Diospyros durionoides Bakh.;
Diospyros mabolo (Poir.) Roxb. ex Lindl. [Illegitimate];
Diospyros mabola Roxb. ex J. V. Thomps. [Illegitimate];
Diospyros malacapai A. DC.;
Diospyros merrillii Elmer;
Diospyros philippensis (Desr.) Guerke [Illegitimate];
Diospyros utilis Hemsl.;
Embryopteris discolor G. Don;
Mabola edulis Raf.;

Diphysa americana

Edible : Flowers, Leaves

A small tree. It grows 4-15 m tall. The leaves are 8-14 cm long. They have 11-21 leaflets. These are 1.5-3.5 cm long by 0.5-1 cm wide. There are 6-7 flowers in a group. The pods are 5-8 cm long by 1-2 cm wide.

Other names :

Amarillo, Camaroncillo, Chipilcoi, Chipilcoite, Chipilin, Cuachipil, Gallito, Gauchipilin, Guachepil, Matansiyat, Quebrancha, Rambai, Tenquiques,

Synonyms :

Colutea americana Mill.;
Diphysa carthaginensis Benth. & Oerst.;
Diphysa robinioides Benth.;