Diospyros vera

(Lour.) A. Chev.

Bristlefruit diospyros

Ebenaceae Edible: Fruit 6 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by

Description

A small tree. It grows 8-12 m high. The trunk is slender. The bark is cracked into small squares. The branches are crooked and twisted. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are 3-11 cm long by 2-7 cm wide. The leaves are small and oval. They are yellow-green. They have small black dots underneath. The flowers are yellow to orange. Male and female flowers are on separate trees. The female flowers are small and white. They are like tubes 0.5 cm long. They are in the axils of leaves and occur singly. The male flowers are yellow and are in clusters in the axils of leaves. The fruit is yellow to orange. They become soft and fleshy when ripe. The fruit is an oval berry 1.5 cm long by 1 cm wide. The seed is large. The edible pulp is small. Young fruit are green. There can be 1-3 seeds or more. The fruit is a smooth round berry. It is 1-1.5 cm across. It is yellow turning red when ripe. There are 1-4 brown seeds. The fruit are edible.

Edible Uses

The ripe fruit, particularly those that have turned deep orange-red, are sweet and edible, though the edible pulp is small relative to the large seed.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit that have turned deep orange-red are sweet and edible.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It grows in the tropics in drier sites in closed forest. It grows along river banks and on the edges of mangroves. It grows in light sandy and stony clay soils. It grows from sea level to 500 m altitude in Taiwan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, China, East Africa, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Northeastern India, Pacific, Philippines, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa, Yap, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds. Cuttings will grow with difficulty.

Synonyms

Diospyros buxifolia ThouarsDiospyros compacta (R. Br.) Kosterm.Diospyros egbert-walkeri Kosterm.Diospyros ferrea (Willd.) Bakh.Diospyros ferrea BakhuizenDiospyros ferrea (Willd.) Bakh. var. buxifolia (Rottb.) Bakh.Diospyros geminata (R. Br.) F. Muell.Ehretia ferrea Willd.Maba buxifolia Pers.Maba buxifolia (Rotb.) JusseiuMaba ferrea (Willd.) Aubr.Pisonia buxifolia Rottb.and many others

Also Known As

Angaru, Bibisan, Cinnavullinji, Erimbellie kai, Goakuli, Gourokholi, Guakuli, Iron tree, Irumballi, Kai mot, Karoki, Karugana, Kayu arang, Khi nou, Kuruvinci, Meribut, Mluhi, Mtitu, Native ebony, Piccane, Pishanna, Pisinika, Pitonu, Pohon eben bibisan, Queensland ebony, Scaly ebony, Sea ebony, Secherek laut, Xiang ya shu

References (42)

Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 176 (As Diospyros ferrea)
Anon., 2003, Native Plants for the Fitzroy basin. Society for Growing Australian Plants Inc. (Rockhampton Branch) p 46 (As Diospyros geminata)
Basha, S. K. M., Ethnobotanical Trees of Sri Lanka Malleswara Wildlife Sanctuary; Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh. (As Diospyros ferrea)
Brock, J., 1993, Native Plants of Northern Australia, Reed. p 139 (As Diospyros compacta)
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 1402 (As Maba buxifolia)

Show all 42 references

Cherikoff V. & Isaacs, J., The Bush Food Handbook. How to gather, grow, process and cook Australian Wild Foods. Ti Tree Press, Australia p 199 (As Diospyros compacta)
Cooper, W. and Cooper, W., 2004, Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Nokomis Editions, Victoria, Australia. p 154 (As Diospyros compacta)
Cribb, A.B. & J.W., 1976, Wild Food in Australia, Fontana. p 29 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)
Djihounouck, Y., et al, 2018, Diversité Et Importance Socio-Economique Des Espèces Fruitières Sauvages Comestibles En Zone Kasa (Sud-Ouest Du Sénégal). European Scientific Journal December 2018 edition Vol.14, No.36 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (As Diospyros ferrea)
Dobriyal, M. J. R. & Dobriyal, R., 2014, Non Wood Forest Produce an Option for Ethnic Food and Nutritional Security in India. Int. J. of Usuf. Mngt. 15(1):17-37 (As Diospyros ferrea)
Edible and Useful Native Plants (off internet) (As Diospyros geminata)
Elliot, W.R., & Jones, D.L., 1984, Encyclopedia of Australian Plants suitable for cultivation. Vol 3. Lothian. p 284 (As Diospyros ferrea var. reticulata) p 283 (As Diospyros compacta)
Gillaumin, R., 1954, Les Plantes utiles des Nouvelles-Hebrides (fin et complement) In: Journal d'agriculture tropicale et de botanique appliquee Vol. 1, No. 10-12 pp 453-460 (As Maba buxifolia)
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 396 (As Maba buxifolia)
Jackes, B.R., 2001, Plants of the Tropics. Rainforest to Heath. An Identification Guide. James Cook University. p 50 (As Diospyros compacta)
Jayaraman, U., & Singh, V., 1987, A Census of Edible Species of Diospyros L. in India. J. Econ. Tax. Bot. Vol. 10 No. 2 pp 416-419 (As Diospyros ferrea) (Also as Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)
Jones D, L, 1986, Ornamental Rainforest Plants in Australia, Reed Books, p 1, 340 (As Diospyros ferrea)
Keay, R.W.J., 1989, Trees of Nigeria. Clarendon Press, Oxford. p 384 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)
Kenneally, K.E., Edinger, D. C., and Willing T., 1996, Broome and Beyond, Plants and People of the Dampier Peninsula, Kimberley, Western Australia. Department of Conservation and Land Management. p 98 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)
Lazarides, M. & Hince, B., 1993, Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia, CSIRO. p 82 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis) (Also as Diospyros compacta)
Mansfeld,
Massal, E. and Barrau, J., 1973, Food Plants of the South Sea Islands. SPC Technical Paper No 94. Nounea, New Caledonia. p 32 (As Maba buxifolia)
Melzer, R. & Plumb, J., 2011, Plants of Capricornia. Belgamba, Rockhampton. p 104 (As Diospyros geminata)
Morley, B.D., & Toelken, H.R., (Eds), 1983, Flowering Plants in Australia. Rigby. p 115, 116 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)
Natuhara, Y., et al, 2011, Uses of trees in paddy fields in Champasak Province, Southern Lao PDR. Landscape and Ecological Engineering. p 7 (As Diospyros ferrea var. littorea)
Pham-Hoang Ho, 1999, An Illustrated Flora of Vietnam. Nha Xuat Ban Tre. p 646 ? (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)
SHORTT, (As Maba buxifolia)
Singh, H.B., Arora R.K.,1978, Wild edible Plants of India. Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. p 55 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)
Singh, V. B., et al, (Ed.) Horticulture for Sustainable Income and Environmental Protection. Vol. 1 p 215 (As Diospyros ferrea)
Ramachandran, V. S., 2007, Wild edible plants of the Anamalais, Coimbatore district, western Ghats, Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal or Traditional Knowledge. 6(1) pp 173-176 (As Diospyros ferrea var. buxifolia)
Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 236
Stanley, T. D. & Ross, E. M., 1986, Flora of south-eastern Queensland Volume 2. Queensland Government p 280 (As Diospyros ferrea)
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 241
Tamil herbs, 2007, Edible Plants of the Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest. (As Diospyros ferrea)
Thaman, R.R., 1976, The Tongan Agricultural System, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji. p 396 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)
Townsend, K., 1994, Across the Top. Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics. Society for Growing Australian Plants, Townsville Branch Inc. p 162 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis) p 161 (As Diospyros compacta)
WATT, (As Maba buxifolia)
Wheeler, J.R.(ed.), 1992, Flora of the Kimberley Region. CALM, Western Australian Herbarium, p 272 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)
Williams, J.B., Harden, G.J., and McDonald, W.J.F., 1984, Trees and shrubs in rainforests of New South Wales and Southern Queensland. Univ. of New England, Armidale. p 95 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (As Diospyros ferrea)
Young, P.A.R., 1991, Rainforest Guide. Brisbane Forest Park. p 30 (As Diospyros geminata)
Yuncker, T.G., 1959, Plants of Tonga, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Hawaii, Bulletin 220. p 213 (As Diospyros ferrea var. humilis)