Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Lepisanthes rubiginosa

Edible: Fruit, Leaves

A shrub 1-3 m tall. It can grow to 10 m tall. It can spread 1-2 m wide. Trunks can occasionally be 35 cm across. The young branches are slightly grooved. They are covered with brown hairs. The leaves are 10-30 cm long and divided. There are 4-18 leaflets. These are 3-24 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. They are oval or oblong and largest towards the tip. They are dark green and leathery. There are brown hairs on both surfaces. The flower panicle is 10-35 cm long and it has many branches. The flowers are 0.6 cm across. They are white. The fruit is a capsule. The fruit are small and purple. They grow in clusters.

A tropical plant. It grows in secondary forest. On thin, poor soils it is only a shrub. In Indonesia it grows up to 1200 m altitude. It grows in monsoonal forest. It suits tropical and warm subtropical locations. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Common Names: Rusty sapindus, Abigran, Anga-banga, Bak huat kaa, Bak-wa, Baraharina, Borobogan, Chunlous, Chunluhs donkay, Chyabu, Chyabu-nui, Damai, Huat lao, Ishi rashi, Jalkusum, Kamsam, Kasam, Katilayu, Kelat jantan, Kelat layu hutan, Kelat layu laut, Kelayu, Kilayu, Kinpadi, Klayu, Korali, Kundurai, Lipupudsu, Ma huad, Mak houat, Mangyi, Manipangam, Menterajam, Mertajam, Muktimoya, Nanga, Nunga, Rambutan hutan, Ritha, Rubiharina, Seik-chi-hpo, Sona mahangam, Suang rason, Terajam, Terajang, Tilayu, Tumlos, Undurugu, Zich tai

Synonyms: 

Erioglossum edule Blume;
Erioglossum edule var. album Blume;
Erioglossum edule var. corymbosum Tiejsm.;
Erioglossum edule var. fraxinifolia (DC) Blume;
Erioglossum edule var. subcorymbosum Blume;
Erioglossum rubiginosa Roxb.;
Erioglossum rubiginosum (Roxburgh) Blume;
Lepisanthes hirta Ridley;
Moulinsia rubiginosa (Roxb.) G. Don;
Sapindus edulis Blume;
Sapindus fraxinifolia DC.;
Sapindus rubiginosa Roxb.;
Uitenia edulis (Blume) Steud.;