Bridelia balansae
Tutcher
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) 小溪, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by 小溪
iNaturalist· cc0
no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc-sa
(c) mutolisp, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
Description
A tree. It grows 17 m tall. The trunk is 30 cm across. The leaves are narrowly sword shaped and 5-15 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. The base is wedge shaped and the edges are curved. There are 12 flowers in a group. The fruit is oval and 8-12 cm long by 5-8 cm wide. They are purple-black when mature.
Edible Uses
The ripe fruit are eaten.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows in mountain forest between 200-1,000 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Where It Grows
Asia, China, Hainan, Indochina, Japan, Laos, Ryukyu, SE Asia, Taiwan, Vietnam,
Production
In southern China plants flower in May to August and fruit September to November.
Notes
There are about 60 Bridelia species.
References (1)
- Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 2196
