Spondias
Encyclopedia
Spondias is a genus of flowering plant
s in the cashew
family, Anacardiaceae
. The genus consists of 17 described species, 7 of which are native to the Neotropics and about 10 are native to tropical Asia
. They are commonly named hog plums, Spanish plums and in some cases golden apples for their brightly-colored fruit which resemble an apple
or large plum
at a casual glance. They are only distantly related to apple and plum trees, however. A more unequivocal common name is mombins.
They are deciduous
or semi-evergreen
tree
s growing to 25 m tall. The leaves
are spirally arranged, pinnate
, rarely bipinnate or simple. The fruit
is a drupe
similar to a small mango
(in the related genus Mangifera
), 4-10 cm long, ripening yellow or orange. It has a single seed
.
About 10 species of Spondias bear edible fruits and have been domesticated for fruit production. These fruits are also consumed by herbivorous mammals such as deer.
The name of the city of Bangkok
, Thailand
is derived from makok (มะกอก), the Thai
name for the fruit of Spondias dulcis. Spondias pinnata is called Pulicha kaai in the Tamil language, which means "sour fruit." It is also called as Ambade in Tulu.
The Malesian species of Spondias were revised by Ding Hou in 1978. The most recently recognized species, Spondias testudinis, was described in 1998.
Selected species
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the cashew
Cashew
The cashew is a tree in the family Anacardiaceae. Its English name derives from the Portuguese name for the fruit of the cashew tree, caju, which in turn derives from the indigenous Tupi name, acajú. It is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew nuts and cashew apples.-Etymology:The...
family, Anacardiaceae
Anacardiaceae
Anacardiaceae are a family of flowering plants bearing fruits that are drupes and in some cases producing urushiol, an irritant. Anacardiaceae include numerous genera with several of economic importance. Notable plants in this family include cashew , mango, poison ivy, sumac, smoke tree, and marula...
. The genus consists of 17 described species, 7 of which are native to the Neotropics and about 10 are native to tropical Asia
Tropical Asia
Through a crop-based biodiversity, natural resources and animals , Tropical Asia is economically and physiogeographically rich. There are 16 countries of Tropical Asia ranging in size from around 610 km² to 3,000,000 km²...
. They are commonly named hog plums, Spanish plums and in some cases golden apples for their brightly-colored fruit which resemble an apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
or large plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
at a casual glance. They are only distantly related to apple and plum trees, however. A more unequivocal common name is mombins.
They are deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
or semi-evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s growing to 25 m tall. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are spirally arranged, pinnate
Pinnate
Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
, rarely bipinnate or simple. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
similar to a small mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
(in the related genus Mangifera
Mangifera
Mangifera is a genus of flowering plants in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. It contains approximately 69 species, with the most well-known being the Common Mango . The center of diversity is in subtropical and tropical southeast Asia, while the highest number of species occur in the Malay...
), 4-10 cm long, ripening yellow or orange. It has a single seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
.
About 10 species of Spondias bear edible fruits and have been domesticated for fruit production. These fruits are also consumed by herbivorous mammals such as deer.
The name of the city of Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
is derived from makok (มะกอก), the Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
name for the fruit of Spondias dulcis. Spondias pinnata is called Pulicha kaai in the Tamil language, which means "sour fruit." It is also called as Ambade in Tulu.
The Malesian species of Spondias were revised by Ding Hou in 1978. The most recently recognized species, Spondias testudinis, was described in 1998.
Selected species
- Spondias cytherea Sonn.
- Spondias dulcis – Tahitian AppleTahitian appleSpondias dulcis or Ambarella, , Golden apple, is an equatorial or tropical tree, with edible fruit containing a fibrous pit...
, Pommecythere (Trinidad & Tobago) - Spondias haplophylla
- Spondias indica
- Spondias lakonensis
- Spondias mombinSpondias mombinSpondias mombin is a tree, a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to the tropical Americas, including the West Indies. The tree has been naturalized in parts of Africa, India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. It is rarely cultivated.The mature fruit has a leathery skin and a...
– Yellow Mombin, Gully Plum, Ashanti Plum, "Java plum" - Spondias pinnata
- Spondias purpurea L. – JocoteJocoteSpondias purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that is native to tropical regions of the Americas. It is most commonly known as Jocote, which derives from the Nahuatl word xocotl, meaning "fruit." Other common names include Red Mombin, Purple Mombin, Hog...
, Purple Mombin, Red Mombin, Ciruela, Siniguela, Sirigwela - Spondias radlkoferiSpondias radlkoferiSpondias radlkoferi is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, found most often along streams or other riparian borders and also in secondary-growth forests. Several species of Neotropical bats in the genus Dermanura are responsible for dispersing many of its seeds....
- Spondias tuberosa – Umbú, Imbu, Brazil Plum
- Spondias venulosa