Muntingia

Appearance

"Muntingia calabura" is a shrub or tree up to 12 m tall with spreading branches. The leaves are alternate, distichous, oblong or lanceolate, 4–15 cm long and 1–6 cm wide, with toothed margin and covered in short hairs. The flowers are small, solitary or in inflorescences of two or three flowers, with five lanceolate sepals, hairy, five obovate white petals, many stamens with yellow anthers, and a smooth ovoid ovary. Fruit, an edible berry, is red at maturity, about 1.5 cm wide.

Naming

Common names include:

⤷ English: calabur tree, capulin, Jamaica cherry, Panama berry, strawberry tree, ornamental cherry, jamfruit tree, Singapore cherry, West Indian cherry
⤷ Spanish: "cereza, memiso, nigua, bolaina, capulin blanco; chitato, pasito", "yumanaza, cerezo caspi"
⤷ Tagalog: "aratiles, datiles, ratiles, latires"
⤷ French:" bois ramier, cerisier de Panama"
⤷ Tamil: "sarkarai pala maram, seeni pala maram"
⤷ Kannada: "gasagase hannina mara"
⤷ Iloko: "seresa, zanitas"
⤷ Indonesian: c"erri, kersen, talok"
⤷ Malay: "kerekup Siam, buah ceri"
⤷ Swedish: "panamabär"
⤷ Khmer: "krakhob barang"
⤷ Thai: "takhop farang"
⤷ Vietnamese: "trứng cá"
⤷ Portuguese: "calbura, pao de seda; calabura, curumi, pau de seda"
⤷ Sinhala: "jam gaha"

Distribution

"M. calabura" is native to southern Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and western South America south to Bolivia and Argentina. It is present in tropical climate in disturbed lowland areas from sea level to 1000 m of elevation.

Habitat

"M. calabura" is native to southern Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and western South America south to Bolivia and Argentina. It is present in tropical climate in disturbed lowland areas from sea level to 1000 m of elevation.This species colonize disturbed habitats in tropical lowland areas, becoming part of the secondary vegetation, as well as gallery forests. It thrives in poor soil, able to tolerate acidic and alkaline conditions and drought, but doesn't grow on saline conditions.

The seeds are dispersed by birds and fruit bats.

Although native to tropical America, "M. calabura" has been introduced in Southeast Asia and naturalized there and in other tropical parts of the world.

Uses

"M. calabura" is planted as a source of timber and fuel. Its soft wood used for rural construction, while the bark is fibrous and used for making ropes.

The fruits are edible and in some cases sold in markets, as they can be eaten raw or processed as jam; leaves can be used for making tea. Also, traditional medicinal uses have been reported for the leaves, bark, flowers, and fruits.

It is planted as an ornamental species, and also because the flowers are a source of nectar and pollen for the beekeeping industry.

The tree is also planted along river banks in Brazil, as fallen fruits attract fish.

"M. calabura" has a potential as a useful species for restoration of disturbed areas and stopping soil erosion. It also offers shelter for wildlife, as it is a source of food for about 60 species of birds and mammals.

Cultural

Sri Lankan author Carl Muller chose this tree as the title for his first novel, "The Jam Fruit Tree." In the novel, the tree represents the Burgher community of Sri Lanka, "a race of fun-loving, hardy people, much like the jam fruit tree which simply refuses to be contained or destroyed." The book won the Gratiaen Prize for the best published work in the English language in 1993.

The edible fruit ripens during November to January and is said to help diabetic patients. A small reduction was recorded in patients' blood sugar levels after consumption. A popular belief is that this tree leads to prosperity. 'Kattilanthi' is the colloquial name which means 'wild cherry'. It is also known as "Company Pazham" in the Palakkad Walayar area. The tree is quite common in the dry land of Palakkad and planted for its shade along highways.