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
mombin L.
Local Names:
Creole (gwo
momben, gran monben, monben, monben fran); Dutch (hoeboe); English
(mombin plum, yellow mombin, hog plum, yellow spanish plum); French
(grand mombin, gros mombin, mombin jaune, prunier mombin, mombin
franc); Fula (chali, chaleh, tali); Indonesian (kedongdong cina,
kedongdong cucuk, kedongdong sabrang); Mandinka (ninkongo, ninkon,
ningo, nemkoo); Portuguese (cajá, cajarana, cajamirim, pau
da
tapera, taperreba, acaiba); Spanish (jojobán, circuela,
ciruela,
ciruelo, ciurela amarilla, balá, hobo, jobito, jobo blanco,
jobo
colorado, jobo corronchoso, jobo de puerco, jobo vano, ubo, jobo
gusanero); Wolof (nimkom, nimkoum, ninkon, ninkong)
Family:
Anacardiaceae
Botanic
Description
Spondias
mombin is a
tree to 30 m high; bark greyish-brown, thick, rough, often deeply
grooved, with blunt, spinelike projections; trunk with branches 2-10 m
above ground level to form a spreading crown up to 15 m in diameter and
forming an open or densely closed canopy, depending on the vigour of
the individual; seedlings with deep taproot, probably persisting in
mature tree, which also possesses a shallower root system near the
surface.
Leaves alternate, once pinnate with an odd terminal
leaflet; stipules absent; rachis 30-70 cm long; leaflets 5-10 pairs,
elliptic, 5-11 x 2-5 cm; apex long acuminate, asymmetric, truncate or
cuneate; margins entire, glabrous or thinly puberulous.
Inflorescence
a branched, terminal panicle with male, female and hermaphrodite
flowers; sepals 5, shortly deltoid, 0.5-1 cm long; petals 5, white or
yellow, oblong, 3 mm long, valvate in bud, becoming reflexed; stamens
10, inserted beneath a fleshy disc; ovary superior, 1-2 mm long; styles
4, short, erect.
Fruit an ovoid or ellipsoid drupe, 3-4 x 2-2.5
cm in diameter; dull light orange to yellow or brown; in clusters of
1-20; epicarp thin, enclosing a juicy orange or yellow mesocarp 3-6 mm
thick; endocarp large, with a soft, fibrous, grooved coat surrounding
4-5 small seeds.
Biology
Flowering occurs
during the dry season; some ripe fruit can be found on the tree most of
the year. Fruiting usually starts at about 5 years of age, although
well-kept cuttings may produce earlier.
Ecology
S. mombin
occurs in a great variety of humid tropical climates, often in
secondary vegetation derived from evergreen lowland forest or
semi-deciduous forest. It has been introduced to most tropical
locations and performs well under varied conditions. The tree is
tolerant of most soil types and rainfall patterns. S. mombin
is severely damaged by freezing temperatures. It is generally found in
the terra firma forests; trees may be found in drier areas as well as
along high fertile floodplains, where they are waterlogged for 2 or 3
months of the year.
Biophysical
Limits
Mean annual rainfall: over 1 500 mm
Soil
types: Does well in a great variety of soils, such as sandy soils,
gravelly or heavy clays, but best results are obtained in rich, moist,
relatively heavy soil
Documented
Species Distribution
Native:
Argentina, Bolivia,
Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras,
Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Surinam,
Uruguay, Venezuela
Exotic: Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, India
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
pulp of the
fruit is sometimes eaten directly, especially when found in the forest,
but is too acid to be considered attractive; it can also be boiled or
dried. It is especially used for syrup, ice cream, drinks and jellies.
Juices improve with keeping overnight as the mild astringency of the
fresh fruit disappears. Fermented products are also good. About half of
the fruit weight is pulp, which is 8% water, 10% sugars, 1-8% fibre,
and 0.4% ash. The sugars give about 40 calories/100 g. The fruit is a
good source of vitamins A and C; vitamin C quantities vary between 34
and 54 mg/g, and carotenoids are presumably present in reasonable
concentrations. There is great variation in fruit quality from region
to region, some being sweet and pleasant and others quite disagreeable
in flavour.
When fresh water is unavailable, water from the roots of S. mombin can be
drunk. The shoot tastes like cassava and can be eaten raw or boiled.
The seeds can also be eaten.
Fodder:
Pigs eat the whole fruit as it falls to the ground. Leaves can be fed
to cattle.
Apiculture: A useful melliferous tree.
Fuel: The wood is suitable for firewood.
Fibre: Its hardness, density and light colour make it
useful for wood pulp. The resulting paper has good resistance to
tension and tearing but a poor reaction to folding.
Timber: The heartwood is cream to buff in colour and is
not distinguishable from the sapwood. Lustre is medium; texture medium
to coarse; grain straight to slightly irregular. The wood is easy to
work and generally finishes smoothly; fuzzy grain may develop in some
operations. The trunks are occasionally used for dugouts and the stems
for posts, boxes, matches, general carpentry, tool handles, millwork,
utility plywood, and furniture components. Logs need to be promptly
processed to minimize deterioration from insect attack.
Medicine: Both bark and flowers are used in folk medicine
to make cure-all teas for digestive tract ailments, lower back pain,
rheumatism, angina, sore throat, malarial fever, congestion, diarrhoea,
urethritis, metrorrhagia, and ascontraceptive. Plant extracts exhibit
antibacterial properties, and a decoction of the bark or root bark is
considered antiseptic. The roots are regarded as febrifugal, and leaf
decoctions used for colds, fevers and gonorrhoea.
Other products:
Ashes from the roots have been used in making soap.
Services
Shade or
shelter: The spreading crown and large leaves make S. mombin a
suitable shade tree.
Boundary or
barrier or support: Trees can be planted close together to
make live fences.
Tree
Management
Planting distance should be 7.5-9 m each way. Growth is good in fertile
soils, and trees can reach up to 7 m in less than 5 years. Large trees
may yield well over 100 kg of fruit. Trees on poor Amazon Oxisols
respond well to fertilizer. In many countries, the fruits are attacked
by insect larvae, so precautionary spraying is recommended.
Germplasm
Management
Seed have orthodox storage behaviour; 50% germination after 27 months
in air-dry storage at 2-5 deg. C.
Pests and
Diseases
S. mombin
is particularly sensitive to attack, especially by termites and blue
stain fungi. In Costa Rica, a leaf-cutting ant (Atta cephalotes)
attacks the tree. In Puerto Rico, fruit flies (Anastrepha mombinpraeoptans,
Drosiphila ampelophila, D. repleta) infect the fruit. Some
trees appear to suffer from root rot.
Further
Reading
Anon. 1986. The useful plants of India. Publications &
Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi, India.
FAO. 1982. Fruit-bearing forest trees: technical notes.
FAO-Forestry-Paper. No. 34. 177 pp.
FAO. 1983. Food and fruit bearing forest species. 3: Examples from
Latin America. FAO Forestry Paper. 44/3. Rome.
Peter G von Carlowitz.1991. Multipurpose Trees and Shrubs-Sources of
Seeds and Innoculants. ICRAF. Nairobi, Kenya.
Sosef MSM, Hong LT, Prawirohatmodjo S. (eds.). 1998. PROSEA 5(3) Timber
trees: lesser known species. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.
Szolnoki TW. 1985. Food and fruit trees of Gambia. Hamburg. Federal
Republic of Germany.
Timyan J. 1996. Bwa Yo: important trees of Haiti. South-East Consortium
for International Development. Washington D.C.
Williams R.O & OBE. 1949. The useful and ornamental plants in
Zanzibar and Pemba. Zanzibar Protectorate.
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