From Plant
Resources of South-East Asia No 2: Edible fruits and nuts, PROSEA
Foundation
by R. E. Coronel
Taxon
Diospyros blancoi
A. DC.
Protologue
Prodr. 8: 237 (1844).
Family
Ebenaceae
Chromosome
Numbers
2n= 30
Synonyms
Diospyros
discolor Willd. (1806), nom. illeg.,
Diospyros
philippensis (Desr.) Guerke (1891), non D. philippinensis
A. DC. (1844).
Vernacular
Names
Mabolo, velvet apple (En)
Pommier velours (Fr)
Indonesia: buah mentega, bisbul, mabolo
Malaysia: buah lemak, buah mentega
Philippines: mabolo, kamagong, tabang (Tagalog)
Thailand: marit.
Indo-China: hông nhung.
Origin and
Geographic Distribution
D. blancoi
is indigenous to the Philippines where it is very common and widely
distributed in primary and secondary forests at low and medium
altitudes. It is also cultivated in backyards. It has been introduced
in other tropical countries.
Uses
The
fruit is usually eaten
fresh when ripe. It tastes rather sweet but is quite dry. The flesh can
also be diced and combined with that of other fruits in salads. The
wood is smooth, durable and black and is much used in the Philippines
in making handicrafts. Trees are planted to line avenues.
Production
and international trade
Production
statistics are not available. Filipinos are not fond of the fruit and
the bulk of production is fed to animals or not even harvested. In
Bogor (Indonesia), the fruits are sold in the market.
Properties
The Philippine
name "mabolo" means hairy, referring to the hairy fruit. The fruit has
60-73% edible portion which contains, per 100 g: water 83.0-84.3 g,
protein 2.8 g, fat 0.2 g, carbohydrates 11.8 g, fibre 1.8 g, ash
0.4-0.6 g, calcium 46 mg, phosphorus 18 mg, iron 0.6 mg, vitamin A 35
IU, thiamine 0.02 mg, riboflavin and niacin 0.03 mg, vitamin C 18 mg.
The energy value averages 332 kJ/100 g.
Botany
A dioecious, evergreen tree, 7-15(-32) m tall, trunk 50(-80) cm
diameter, crown conical.
Leaves
alternate, oblong, 8-30 cm × 2.5-12 cm, entire, base usually rounded,
apex pointed, coriaceous; upper surface dark-green, shiny, glabrous,
lower surface silvery hairy; young leaves pale-green to pinkish,
silky-hairy; petiole up to 1.7 cm long.
Male flowers in 3-7-flowered
axillary cymes; pedicel short; calyx tubular but deeply 4-lobed, about
1 cm long; corolla slightly larger than calyx, tubular, 4-lobed,
creamy-white; stamens 24-30, united in pairs at base; female flowers
solitary, axillary, subsessile, slightly larger than male flowers, with
4-5 (8-10) staminodes.
Fruit a globose or depressed-globose berry,
5-12 cm × 8-10 cm, velvety, brown-reddish, capped at base with the
persistent stiff calyx; skin thin, densely coated with short
golden-brown hairs, emanating a strong, cheese-like odour; flesh
whitish, firm, rather dry, sweet, astringent, aromatic.
Seeds 0-10, wedge-shaped, up to 4 cm × 2.5 cm × 1.5 cm, brown.
Seedling
trees tend to grow upright, sometimes with just a single, unbranched
trunk. Grafted trees, however, grow short in stature and produce more
lateral branches. Seedling trees bear fruits 6-7 years after planting;
grafted trees in 3-4 years. Trees vary mainly in the shape and
hairiness of the leaves and shape and taste of the fruits.
In
the Philippines the main flowering period is during the dry season in
February-April, fruiting in June-September. Male trees must be planted
near the female trees for effective pollination and fruit production.
Agronomy
D. blancoi
is usually propagated by seed taking up to 24 days to germinate. It can
be propagated vegetatively by marcotting, budding and grafting, the
latter method being commercially used in the Philippines. In cleft
grafting, 1-year-old seedlings are used as a rootstock. The scions are
obtained from mature, current season's growth with well developed
terminal buds and cut 10-12 cm long.
Grafted young trees may be
planted in the field 8-10 m apart at the onset of the rainy season.
Seedling trees are planted along avenues at a spacing of 10-15 m. Once
established in the field, the trees hardly receive any care.
Watersprouts and interlacing branches are occasionally pruned; so are
branches that touch the ground. Some insects have been reported to feed
on shoots and leaves: toy beetles, leaf rollers, slug and tussock
caterpillars, bagworms, and red scales. These are minor pests, however.
No serious disease has been reported. The fruits are considered mature
when they turn from greenish-brown to dull red. After harvest they are
usually wiped with a piece of cloth to remove the hairy bloom to make
them look more attractive. In 3-4 days, the fruits soften and become
aromatic.
Genetic
resources and breeding
Seedling
trees exhibit a high degree of variability in leaf and fruit
characters. Fruits vary in shape, size, flesh colour, degree of
seediness and taste. A seedless, white-fleshed, sweet cultivar is being
clonally propagated in the Philippines.
Prospects
D. blancoi
is a very productive fruit tree. The fruit, however, lacks sweetness
and is rather dry, making it less popular than many other tropical
fruits. Unless cultivars that bear sweet, juicy fruits are developed,
it will remain a minor crop. Its potential for processing has to be
studied.
Literature
Adajar, C.U. & Vergara, L.A., 1972. Mabolo (Diospyros discolor
Willd., Ebenaceae). In: Anonymous (Editor): Cultural directions for
Philippine agricultural crops. Vol. 1. (Fruits). Public Affairs Office
Press, Bureau of Plant Industry, Manila. pp. 154-156.
Galang, F.G., 1955. Fruit and nut growing in the Philippines. AIA
Printing Press, Rizal. pp. 254-256.
Morton, J.F., 1987. Fruits for warm climates. Creative Resources
Systems, Winterville, N.C., USA. pp. 418-419.
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