Gnetum gnemon var. griffithii
(Parl.) Markgr.
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The New York Botanical Garden
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Botanical Research Institute of Texas
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RSA - California Botanic Garden Herbarium (RSA-RSA)
Summary
Source: WikipediaGnetum gnemon is a gymnosperm species of Gnetum. Its native area spans from Mizoram and Assam in India down south through Malay Peninsula, Malay Archipelago and the Philippines in southeast Asia to the western Pacific islands. Common names include gnetum, joint fir, two leaf, melinjo/belinjo (Indonesian), bago/lumbay (Filipino), hanthu (Karbi) and tulip (Tok Pisin).
Description
A shrub or climber. It can be 25 m long. The branches are drooping. The leaves are oblong and 8-20 cm long by 3-10 cm wide. The taper to the tip and the base. They are arranged opposite. Male and female flowers are separate but on the same plant. They are in the axils of the leaves. The female spikes are 5-10 cm long with 6-8 flowers. The fruit is fleshy with a stone inside and 3.5 cm long. The seed is red when ripe. It is 2.5 cm long.
Edible Uses
Gnetum nuts are eaten boiled, roasted, or raw in most parts of Southeast Asia and Melanesia. The young leaves, the male strobili (often incorrectly referred as "flowers"), and the outer flesh of the fruits are also edible when cooked and are eaten in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Fiji. They have a slightly sour taste and are commonly eaten in soups and stews. Gnetum is most widely used in Indonesian cuisine where it is known as melinjo or belinjo. The seeds are used for sayur asem (sour vegetable soup) and also, made into raw chips that later need to be deep-fried as crackers (emping, a type of krupuk). The crackers have a slightly bitter taste and are frequently served as a snack or accompaniment to Indonesian dishes. This plant is commonly cultivated throughout the Aceh region and is regarded as a vegetable of high status. Its male strobili, young leaves and female strobilus are used as ingredients in traditional vegetable curry called kuah pliek. This dish is served on all important traditional occasions, such as khanduri and keureudja. In the Pidie district, the women pick the red-skinned ripe fruit and make keureupuk muling from it.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows in forests in the highlands in central Vietnam.
Where It Grows
Asia, Indochina, SE Asia, Vietnam,
Synonyms
Also Known As
La nhip
References (2)
- Sang, D. T., & Mizoue, K. O. N., 2012, Use of Edible Forest Plants among Indigenous Ethnic Minorities in Cat Tien Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam. Asian Journal of Biodiversity Vol. 3 (1), p 23-49
- Tanaka, Y & Van Ke, N., 2007, Edible Wild Plants of Vietnam. Orchid Press. p 83
