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Sphaerocoryne affinis

(Teijsm. & Binn.) Ridley

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Sphaerocoryne affinis is a species of flowering plant in the soursop family, Annonaceae. It is a liana (woody climbing plant) growing in lowland wet tropical forests at an elevation of up to 200 metres (660 ft). It is distributed within west and central Malesia, and occurs at one locality in Southern Thailand, on Tarutao Island. Sphaerocoryne affinis is similar in appearance to S. lefevrei (a species with cultural significance in Cambodia and Thailand, where it is known as rumduol and lamduan, respectively), and some sources treat them as the same species. In Cambodia, the rumdoul has been referred to by the scientific name Mitrella mesnyi, which most authorities regard as an illegitimate synonym of S. affinis, though this species does not occur in the country.

Description

A woody climber. It can be 30 m long. The flowers have a sweet smell. They are yellowish white. The fruit are oval and 1 cm long. They are yellow and fleshy. It is on 5 cm long stalk.

Edible Uses

The fruit are eaten and sold in markets.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in forest.

Where It Grows

Asia, Cambodia, Indochina, Laos, Malaysia, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam,

Other Information

The fruit are sold in markets.

Synonyms

Dasymaschalon scandens Merr.Melodorum aberrans (Maingay ex Hook.f.) J. SinclairPolyalthia aberrans Maingay ex Hook.f & ThomsonPolyalthia affinis Teijsm. & Binn.Popowia aberrans Pierre apud Finet & Gagnepian, Unona mesneyi Pierre [Illegitimate]and others

Also Known As

Akar bunga tanjong, Rumduol

References (6)

  • Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 2099 (As Sphaerocoryne aberrans)
  • Crevost & Lemarie, 1917, Cat. Prod. Indochine, p 194 (As Sphaerocoryne aberrans)
  • Martin, M.A., 1971, Introduction L'Ethnobotanique du Cambodge. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Paris. (As Popowia aberrans)
  • Milow, P., et al, 2013, Malaysian species of plants with edible fruits or seeds and their evaluation. International Journal of Fruit Science. 14:1, 1-2 (As Sphaerocoryne aberrans)
  • PROSEA Vol. 2 (As Sphaerocoryne aberrans)
Show all 6 references
  • World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

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