Elaeocarpus serratus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Oxalidales |
Family: | Elaeocarpaceae |
Genus: | Elaeocarpus |
Species: | E. serratus |
Binomial name | |
Elaeocarpus serratus | |
Varieties [1] | |
Elaeocarpus serratus var. weibeliiZmarzty | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Elaeocarpus serratus, the Ceylon olive, is a tropical flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae. It is a medium to large tree, with white flowers. It has a disjunctive distribution, with the species occurring in Sri Lanka and southern India, and in Assam, Bangladesh and other parts in the north of the Indian subcontinent. The fruit is commonly eaten, and people also use the plant for ornamental, religious and folk-medicinal purposes. There are historical records of traditional-medicine use of the plant. Paradoxurus jerdoni (Brown palm civet) consumes parts of the tree.
The species has an accepted variety, Elaeocarpus serratus var. weibelii. [1]
The taxa is a medium to large evergreen tree with a large spreading crown, reaching 15 to 60m in height. [3] The flowers have pale-green petiole, 5 white to pale-olive-green calyxes calyx, sepal 4-6mm long, 5 white corollas, petals 4-5mm long, slightly-black anther, 18-30 stamen. [4] The flowers expand to maximum size in late afternoon and hence are likely adapted to night pollinators, i.e. moths. Bears smooth ovoid green fruits [5] the size of about 2.5 cm long. Recommended varieties are local cultivars (round and oval fruits). [6] It has a brown seed inside the fruit. The seed has a hard outer shell. The seeds are slow for germination and can take up to 2 years. The wood is whitish yellow.
The species has a disjunctive distribution, it is native to an area of southern and southwest India and Sri Lanka, and to an area from Assam, northeast India, to Bangladesh. [2] Countries and regions in which it is indigenous to are: Sri Lanka; India (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh); [3] Bangladesh. It has been introduced/naturalised to Réunion and Mauritius. It is widely available in the villages of West Bengal also. It is called 'Jalpai' and people eat it raw or make chutney, Jalpai ambal, or make Achar also.
The weibelii variety is native to Karnataka and Kerala in southwest India. [1]
The tree is drought tolerant. [3] Areas of high suitability for the plant in Assam include continuous patches of tropical and subtropical forest, and areas with a mosaic of fragmented groves, settled cultivation areas and human settlements. It grow less well in areas of degraded open forest, settled cultivation, homestead gardens and some human settlements. Areas of low suitability include grasslands, degraded open forest and some human settlements.
It natively occurs in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka, [4] and is found in various protected areas of Assam, including Nameri National Park, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, Pakke Tiger Reserve and Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. [3]
The palm civet Paradoxurus jerdoni (Brown palm civet) consumes parts of the plant. [7]
The population in India is rapidly decreasing, partly due to over-exploitation of the plant (particularly for seeds), and partly due to habitat destruction. [3] It is cited as vulnerable in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
The taxa is used as an ornamental plant and its fruit are eaten. [10]
The fruit of the taxa is well known in Sri Lanka. [6] Pickled Ceylon olives are eaten as popular street food within the country. It is also used as a part of indigenous medical treatments and as a part of local cuisine.
Use of the plant is recorded historically in India, the fruit was believed to ward off evil spirits and omens. [3] In recent folk medicine, various parts of the plant have been used to treat a large variety of ailments. [3]
People living in Mai Municipality, Ilam District, far-eastern Nepal, use the plant as part of folk medicine and in religion. Juice from the bark is drunk in treatment for jaundice, while a paste from the seed is eaten in belief of a treatment for pneumonia and ulcer. [11]
The Karbi people of Karbi Anglong District, Assam, harvest both ripe and unripe fruit from August to October, the ripe fruit is made into a pickle, the taste of the fruit is sour. [8] Both ripe and unripe fruit are also sold in local markets, in the years 2005-2007 they fetched Rs. 20/- to 30/- per kilogram (cheap, but not in the cheapest price range).
The fruits are high in starch and sugar and have low amounts of protein and iron. [6] It may help treat diarrhoea due to its constipating effect. [6] [ unreliable medical source? ].
The founder of modern biological nomenclature, the Swede Carl Linnaeus (1707-78) named the species in 1753 in his work Species Plantarum . The weibelii variety was named by the taxonomist Sue Zmarzty (born 1959) in 2001, publishing the description in the Kew Bulletin, 56(2), page 437.
The jackfruit is the fruit of jack treeArtocarpus heterophyllus, a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit, reaching as much as 55 kg in weight, 90 cm in length, and 50 cm in diameter. A mature jackfruit tree produces some 200 fruits per year, with older trees bearing up to 500 fruits in a year. The jackfruit is a multiple fruit composed of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers, and the fleshy petals of the unripe fruit are eaten.
The Asian palm civet, also called common palm civet, toddy cat and musang, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, it is IUCN Red Listed as Least Concern as it accommodates to a broad range of habitats. It is widely distributed with large populations that in 2008 were thought unlikely to be declining. In Indonesia, it is threatened by poaching and illegal wildlife trade; buyers use it for the increasing production of kopi luwak.
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a forest reserve and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Elaeocarpus is a genus of nearly five hundred species of flowering plants in the family Elaeocarpaceae native to the Western Indian Ocean, Tropical and Subtropical Asia, and the Pacific. Plants in the genus Elaeocarpus are trees or shrubs with simple leaves, flowers with four or five petals usually, and usually blue fruit.
Syzygium cumini, commonly known as Malabar plum, Java plum, black plum, jamun, jaman, jambul, or jambolan, is an evergreen tropical tree in the flowering plant family Myrtaceae, and favored for its fruit, timber, and ornamental value. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Andaman Islands. It can reach heights of up to 30 metres (98 ft) and can live more than 100 years. A rapidly growing plant, it is considered an invasive species in many world regions.
Couroupita guianensis, known by a variety of common names including cannonball tree, is a deciduous tree in the flowering plant family Lecythidaceae. It is native to the tropical forests of Central and South America, and it is cultivated in many other tropical areas throughout the world because of its fragrant flowers and large fruits, which are brownish grey. There are potential medicinal uses for many parts of Couroupita guianensis, and the tree has cultural and religious significance in South and Southeast Asia. In Sri Lanka and India, the cannonball tree has been widely misidentified as the Sal tree, after its introduction to the island by the British in 1881, and has been included as a common item in Buddhist temples as a result.
Magnolia champaca, known in English as champak, is a large evergreen tree in the family Magnoliaceae. It was previously classified as Michelia champaca. It is known for its fragrant flowers, and its timber used in woodworking.
The brown palm civet, also called the Jerdon's palm civet, is a viverrid endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
Elaeocarpus angustifolius is a species of flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae and occurs from India to New Caledonia and northern Australia. Common synonyms are E. ganitrus and E. sphaericus. It is a large evergreen tree, often with buttress roots, and has leaves with wavy serrations, creamy white flowers and more or less spherical bright blue drupe fruit. In English, the tree is known as utrasum bean tree in India. In Sri Lanka recorded names are woodenbegar and Indian bead tree. It is simply known as elaeocarpus in the Northern Territory of Australia. Other names used for this tree in Australia are Indian oil fruit and genitri. In Hawaii it is known as a blue marble tree.
Mimusops elengi is a medium-sized evergreen tree found in tropical forests in South Asia, Southeast Asia and northern Australia. English common names include Spanish cherry, medlar, and bullet wood. Its timber is valuable, the fruit is edible, and it is used in traditional medicine. As the trees give thick shade and flowers emit fragrance, it is a prized collection of gardens.
Elaeocarpus bancroftii, commonly known as Kuranda quandong, Johnstone River almond, ebony heart, grey nut, or nut tree is a large rainforest tree in the family Elaeocarpaceae which is endemic to Queensland. It has coriaceous leaves, attractive white flowers and relatively large fruit containing an edible kernel.
Elaeocarpus lanceifolius is a tree species in the family Elaeocarpaceae. It is found across tropical Asia from Thailand to Yunnan to Nepal to Karnataka, India. It is used for its wood, fruit, and nuts.
Garcinia pedunculata is an evergreen tree related to the purple mangosteen. The tree is endemic to the south-eastern regions of Asia such as parts of Myanmar, Bangladesh and north-eastern parts of India. It is popularly known in India as Amlavetasa, in Bangladesh as Thoikor or Taikor and in Assam as Bor Thekera(বৰ থেকেৰা ).
Elaeocarpus hedyosmus is a species of flowering plant in the Elaeocarpaceae family used as a medicinal plant. It is one of three recently described species that is endemic to Sri Lanka.
Elaeocarpus taprobanicus is a species of flowering plant in the Elaeocarpaceae family used as a medicinal plant. It is one of three recently described species that is endemic to Sri Lanka.
Cullenia exarillata is a flowering plant evergreen tree species in the family Malvaceae endemic to the rainforests of the southern Western Ghats in India. It is one of the characteristic trees of the mid-elevation tropical wet evergreen rainforests and an important food plant for the endemic primate, the lion-tailed macaque.
A small tree with tortuous twigs, Dillenia pentagyna is a member of the family Dilleniaceae, and is found from Sulawesi to South-Central China to India and Sri Lanka. Material from the tree has some minor uses.
Tetracera sarmentosa is a vine/climber and shrub in the Dilleniaceae family. It is native to parts of Tropical and Temperate Asia, from Peninsular Malaysia to China and Sri Lanka.
Syzygium claviflorum is a tree in the Myrtaceae family. It is native to the north of the Australian continent and in tropical and subtropical Asia. It is used for timber, as fuel, as human and cattle food, and for dye. Stunted specimens can be found on the top of the plateau of Bokor National Park, Cambodia.
Solena amplexicaulis, commonly known as the creeping cucumber, is a species of plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, native to tropical southern Asia. The fruits, leaves, roots and shoots have use as food and in traditional medicine.
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