Publication
from Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide
version 4.0
by C. Orwa, A. Mutua, R. Kindt, R. Jamnadass and S. Anthony
Spondias
purpurea L.
Local Names:
Creole (siwel wob, abricotier batard, ciroyer d’ Amerique,
ciruela sanjanuera); English (great hog plum, red mombin, purple
mombin, Mexican plum, Spanish plum, Jamaican plum); Filipino (hevi);
French (abricotier batard, cirouellier, ciroyer d'Amerique); Indonesian
(kedondong manis); Khmer (mokak); Lao (Sino-Tibetan) (kook hvaan);
Malay (kedondong); Portuguese (caja, imbuzeiro); Spanish (ciruela
morada, ciruela, ciruela del pais, jobillo, ciruelo, jobo negro, jobo
frances ovo, ciruela colorada); Vietnamese (cóc)
Family: Myrtaceae
Botanic
Description
Spondias
purpurea is a single stemmed tree or shrub up to 15m tall with a medium
canopy and a spreading crown. The bark is grey or brown, smooth and
thick, becoming rough and warty on large trunks. It develops a poor
crooked stem form and shallow lateral roots. The large branches are
brittle and easily broken.
Leaves pinnate 10-20 cm long with 9-25 almost stalkless, elliptic,
thin, yellow-green leaflets, 1.8-3.75 cm long, rounded, or
short-pointed at apex, short-pointed and slightly oblique at base, with
edges slightly wavy toothed. Leaflet blades are more or less paired
except for the terminal one. The stout twigs are green and lenticelled.
Flowers red or pink in lateral minutely haired panicles floral parts in
fives, the calyx is 5-lobed, there are 5 petals (0.3 cm long), stamens
10, and pistil on a disk. Ovary 5-celled with 3-4 short styles. Fruits
yellow or purplish-red, cylindrical, short stalked, 2.5 -3 cm long. The
yellow juicy pulp surrounds a large stone, 1.25- 1.8 cm, fibrous on the
outside, and containing 5 or fewer seeds.
The genus Spondias,
consisting of 8-10 fruit species of American and Asian origin is
prevalent throughout the tropics. The yellow-fruited form of S. purpurea is
considered a separate species by other authors. The specific epithet
means purple.
Biology
S. purpurea
is a hermaphroditic tree. Flowers in the period between March and April
and fruits when defoliated. Fruits ripen from June to July. S. purpurea
undergoes defoliation in autumn and dormancy during winter.
Ecology
Is a light demanding species in dry areas with shallow soils.
Biophysical
Limits
Altitude: 150- 1 050 m
Mean annual temperature: 22 deg C
Mean annual rainfall: 1 500- 2 100 mm
Soil type: Prefers medium/ loamy soils. Can tolerate seasonal
waterlogging and shallow soils but is vulnerable to acidic soils and
strong winds.
Documented
Species Distribution
Native:
Bahamas, Haiti, Mexico
Exotic: Puerto Rico
The
map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does
neither suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological
zone within that country, nor that the species can not be planted in
other countries than those depicted. Since some tree species are
invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to your
planting site.
Products
Food:
The leaves, seeds and fruits are edible. The fruits have a flavour
resembling that of plums. A high calorific value is recorded for the
edible fruit portion, (74 kcal/100 g), this is principally due to ovo's
high concentration of total carbohydrates (19.1%). Fructose, glucose
and sucrose together account for 65% of the soluble matter. Unlike
other fruits, ovo retains a fair amount of starch in its mesocarp.
Fodder:
Shoot, leaf and seed are used as fattening feed for pigs and cattle.
Fuel: The easily cut and brittle branches are potential
fuelwood.
Timber: Sapwood whitish, heartwood soft and brittle. The
wood is used in fencing.
Gum or resin: The seeds have a thick gum coating commonly
used in pork meats and chilli stews. This gum has good solubility in
water and on hydrolysis yields polysaccharides. Aspartic acid and
valine are its major amino acid constituents.
Medicine: In Haiti a number of medicinal uses for this
tree are reported; for swollen glands and trauma the leaf juice is
taken orally, for headaches the crushed leaves are applied as a head
bath, the fruit is consumed in large amounts to clear effects of
constipation, other indications treated using preparations from this
plant are dysentery and diarrhoea. Tree parts also used in preparation
of a herbal remedy for sore throat. The leaves of this tree exhibit
anti-bacterial properties.
Other products:
Some cosmetic and hygienic products e.g soap are manufactured from
parts of this tree.
Services
Shade or
shelter: It is a good shade tree.
Soil improver:
A seasonal variation occurs in leaf litter composition. N, Calcium and
Magnesium levels were adequate whereas P and K levels were below the
optimal range.
Ornamental:
Can be planted as ornamental trees, they are a beautiful sight when in
flower and fruit.
Intercropping:
S. purpurea
is a host tree for many insect pests which could use it as a possible
dissemination point for colonizing neighboring agricultural fields as
food sources. Prospects of intercropping S. purpurea with
plants vulnerable to these insects can be discouraging.
Other services:
Employed to support cultivated orchids as stakes.
Tree
Management
Increasing P and K fertilization would improve yield and fruit quality.
Tree defoliation affects the mean number and weight of fruits per tree.
Lopping can be done to manage tree growth, however severe defoliation
may result in virtual failure or reduced seed production in the year of
defoliation. While current production of ovo is insufficient for large
scale industrial processing of the fruit, the best alternative to
maximize the income of the small holders producing ovo is for them to
concentrate on producing "value added products" such as jams, ice
creams, alcoholic beverages and vinegars.
Pests and
Diseases
The mite Brevipalpus
salasi produces an irregular yellowing of the leaves and a
slight scaly appearance to fruits of this plant. Parasitizing fruit
flies (Anastrepha
spp.) dwell on S.
purpurea.
Further
Reading
Aguiar-Menezes EL and Menezes EB. 1997. Natural occurrence of
parasitoids of Anastrepha
spp. Schiner, 1868
(Diptera: Tephritidae) in different host plants, in Itaguai (RJ),
Brazil. Biological Control. 8(1):1-6.
Chemsak JA and Noguera FA. 1993. Annotated checklist of the
Cerambycidae of the Estacion de Biologia Chamela,
Jalisco, Mexico, (Coleoptera) with descriptions of new genera and
species. Folia Entomologica Mexicana.1995( 89):55- 102.
Koziol MJ and Macia MJ. 1998. Chemical composition, nutritional
evaluation, and economic prospects of Spondias purpurea
(Anacardiaceae). Economic Botany. 52:(4):373-380.
Little EL, Wadsworth FH. 1964. Common trees of Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands. Agricultural Handbook. No. 249. US Department of
Agriculture. Washington DC.
Ochoa R. 1986. Brevipalpus
salasi, a new species from Costa Rica (Acari:
Tenuipalpidae), Lab. Acarologia. International Journal of Acarology.
12(3): 155-157.
Ramirez-Martinez M et al. 1994. Discovery of the larger grain borer in
a tropical deciduous forests in Mexico. Journal of Applied Entomology.
118(4-5): 354-360.
Salazar-Garcia S and Becerra-Bernal E. 1994. Phenology and nutritional
dynamics in leaves of Mexican plum. Revista Fitotecnia Mexicana.
17(1):86-93.
Timyan J. 1996. Bwa Yo: important trees of Haiti. South-East Consortium
for International Development. Washington D.C.
|
|