Dracontomelon

Dracontomelon
Fruits of Dracontomelon duperreanum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Anacardiaceae
Subfamily:	Spondiadoideae
Genus:	Dracontomelon Blume, 1850.

Dracontomelon ^[1] (Vietnamese: chi sấu ^[2] ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, growing mostly in Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands. The fruit may be used in local cuisine, especially as a souring agent.

Species

Dracontomelon vitiense − Espiritu Santo island, Vanuatu.

• Dracontomelon costatum Blume - Borneo, Sumatra
• Dracontomelon dao Merr. & Rolfe (many synonyms) - Southeast Asia to Solomon Islands
• Dracontomelon duperreanum Pierre (syn. D. sinense) - southern China and Vietnam
• Dracontomelon laoticum  C.M.Evrard & Tardieu
• Dracontomelon lenticulatum Wilkinson ^[3] - New Guinea
• Dracontomelon macrocarpum Li - China (Yunnan)
• Dracontomelon petelotii Tardieu - northern Vietnam ^[4]
• Dracontomelon schmidii Tardieu - Vietnam
• Dracontomelon vitiense Engl. - Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Western Samoa (Upolu)

Reclassified species

The following are known synonyms:

• Dracontomelon cuspidatum Blume: syn. of Dacryodes rostrata (Bl.) H. J. Lam
• D. laoticum Evrard & Tardieu: syn. of Protium serratum (Wall. ex Colebr.) Engl.
• D. pilosum Seem.: syn. of Didymocheton alliaceus (Miq.) Mabb. ^[5]
• D. papuanum Lauterb.: syn. of Protium macgregorii (F.M.Bailey) Leenh.
• D. multijugum Radlk. (formerly C.DC.): syn. of Toona ciliata var. multijuga (Kurz) Panigrahi & S.C.Mishra

Dracontomelon duperreanum

Culinary use

The most commonly eaten species is Dracontomelon duperreanum , which produces an edible fruit that is eaten in Cambodia, Vietnam ^[2] and China. In Vietnamese, the plant is called cây sấu and is a common urban tree in Hanoi; the fruit is called quả sấu. The fruit is used in Vietnamese cuisine both as a souring agent and a candied treat similar to the Japanese umeboshi. The treat is popular among youths. In Chinese, the fruit is called 仁面.

References

1. Blume, Carl L. von (1850) In: Museum Botanicum Lugduno-Batavum sive stirpium Exoticarum, Novarum vel Minus Cognitarum ex Vivis aut Siccis Brevis Expositio et Descriptio (Blume, ed.), 1 [15]: 230-231.
2. Phạm Hoàng Hộ (2003) Cây Cỏ Việt Nam: an Illustrated Flora of Vietnam vol. II publ. Nhà Xuẩt Bản Trẻ, HCMC, VN.
3. The Plant list (20 January 2018)
4. GBIF: Dracontomelon petelotii
5. Dracontomelon pilosum Seem. Plants of the World Online . Retrieved 14 February 2024.

External links

• Media related to Dracontomelon at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Dracontomelon at Wikispecies