Embelia philippinensis
A.DC.
Woody vine
gbif· cc0
President and Fellows of Harvard College
Description
A woody vine with spiny old stems. The vines can be 4 m long and 1.5 cm across. The branches are smooth and shiny. The leaves are alternate, leathery, smooth and 7 to 14 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. The flowers are small and whitish and occur in considerable numbers in compound flower arrangements. The fruit are berry like, sour and up to 5 mm across. They are red and usually with a noticeable narrow extension of the ovary at the tip.
Edible Uses
Leaves - cooked. The acid-tasting leaves are used as a flavouring for vegetables or to give a sour taste to soup. Fruit. A sweet-sour taste. The fruit is a globose berry, up to 5mm in diameter, red when ripe.
Traditional Uses
The young acid leaves are eaten with fish. The fleshy layer around the seed is eaten raw. It is sweet/sour.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows in open and partly shaded secondary forest. They occur in the Philippines from northern Luzon to the northern provinces of Mindanao.
Where It Grows
Asia, Malaysia, Pacific, Philippines*, SE Asia,
Cultivation
It can be grown from seed or by stem cuttings. The seeds are best planted in a nursery and then transplanted. Cuttings are taken from mature stems.
Propagation
Seed - Stem cuttings.
Other Uses
The fresh mature stems are used for temporary tying purposes.
Notes
There are about 140 Embelia species. Also put in the family Myrsinaceae.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Bisolak, Bisudak, Dikai, Lando, Pongpong, War ilang
References (11)
- Brown, W.H., 1920, Wild Food Plants of the Philippines. Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 21 Manila. p 142
- Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 934
- Chua-Barcelo, R. T., 2014, Ethnobotanical survey of edible wild fruits in Benguet, Cordillera administrative region, the Philippines. Asian Pac. J. Trop. Biomed. 4(Suppl. 1):S525-S538
- Hoare, A., 2003, Food use of the Lundayeh SW Sabah. Borneo Research Council.
- Kulip, J., 2003, An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal and other useful plants of Muruts in Sabah, Malaysia. Telopea 10(1) p 91
Show all 11 references Hide references
- Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 207
- Monsalud, M.R., Tongacan, A.L., Lopez, F.R., & Lagrimas, M.Q., 1966, Edible Wild Plants in Philippine Forests. Philippine Journal of Science. p 510
- Polinag, M. A., 2003, Food from the Wilderness. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Laguna.
- PROSEA handbook Volume 13 Spices. p 253
- Seidemann J., 2005, World Spice Plants. Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy. Springer. p 145
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
