Spondias dulcis

Spondias dulcis (syn. Spondias cytherea), known commonly as Polynesian plum or Tahiti apple, is a tropical fruit tree native to Melanesia, with edible fruit containing a fibrous pit. The tree was spread to neighboring regions as canoe plants in Island Southeast Asia and Polynesia in prehistoric times by seafaring Austronesians during the Austronesian expansion. It remains widely cultivated in Polynesia, where it is generally known under the names vī or wī, and variants thereof. It has also been introduced to other areas of the world in colonial times. In the English-speaking Caribbean it is typically known as golden apple and elsewhere in the Caribbean as pommecythere, April plum or June plum, or cythere.

Description

Often a Golden apple tree grows to a large tree which can be up to 30 m high but is more often 15 m high in cultivation. It has a trunk 60 cm across which can have buttresses. The bark on the trunk of the tree is fairly smooth. The twigs break off easily. The wood is soft and not much use. The leaf is made up of 4 to 12 pairs of leaflets which have fine teeth around the edge. The leaves are 20-30 cm long. The leaves are smooth and dark green on top and pale green underneath. The leaves are alternate. The leaves of the tree fall off for a part of the year. The old leaves wither to a bright yellow colour. The flowers are produced near the ends of the branches and mostly the flowers develop before the new young leaves grow. The flowers occur as several flowers on long stalks. The flower panicle is 15 to 30 cm long. The flowers are small and white. They look something like a mango flower. The fruit is yellow, oval and up to 7 cm long and 4 cm across. Sometimes the outside of the fruit has a mottled black colour. There is one large stone inside divided into 5 cells with a seed in each. The stone is branched and has fibres.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. Green fruit is crisp and subacid; as it ripens to yellow the flesh softens, the flavour changes, and fibres become more noticeable. Fully ripe, amber-coloured, plum-shaped fruits have a sweet to acid flavour with a slight turpentine note. The oblong fruit grows up to 10cm long by 8cm wide. Ripe fruit can be made into jams and marmalade. Unripe fruits are commonly used as a sour flavouring in sauces and soups, and contain around 10% pectin. Young leaves are pleasantly acid and can be eaten raw or steamed as a vegetable.

Traditional Uses

Fruit are eaten after peeling. They are eaten raw or pickled. The fruit are also dried and used in curries. The young leaves are edible raw or cooked. They are used as a souring agent. The kernel of the seed may be edible. (Some fruit are poor size and very sour.) The fruit are also used for sweet drinks and made into jams and chutneys. Green fruit are pickled.

Medicinal Uses

The fruits, leaves, and bark have diverse traditional medicinal applications worldwide. The plant is used to treat wounds, sores, and burns across several countries. A fermented drink made from parts of the plant is used as a remedy for diarrhoea. Plant juice is applied as eye drops to reduce inflammation, and a few drops of pressed bark fluid are used to treat cataracts. The shoots are used to treat haemorrhaging after childbirth. Pressed liquid from the stem is given after a false pregnancy and for weakness following childbirth. A leaf infusion treats sore throats and mouth infections. Pressed bark liquid is taken to cleanse the bowels, and the bark filtrate is used as an abortifacient, to promote sterility, and to treat fish poisoning. The bark is also used to treat diarrhoea and dysentery. The inner bark addresses coughs, fever, stomach aches, and mouth and body sores. The fruit is mildly diuretic; grated fruit mixed with water is used for high blood pressure. Young fruit is used to treat stomach trouble and to assist a woman in labour.

Known Hazards

Care should be taken when eating the fruit since the seeds have very sharp spines.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. They occur in well drained soils or in dry forests. It occurs in the lowland rainforest and in valleys up to about 950 m altitude in the equatorial tropics. It suits humid locations. They suit warm tropical and subtropical climates and are frost tender. Flowering is normally during the dry season. This may be important for fruit set. The trees also grow in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and a number of other Pacific countries. It has also been taken to other tropical countries. This species covers a full range from being a wild un-utilised tree in some areas to a planted, pruned and highly regarded village fruit tree in other areas. It is better suited to deeper alluvial soils and rarely occurs on limestone with a thin clay soil cover. Trees often grow as a pioneer tree on landslides. The wild trees are probably spread around by birds, pigs and people.

Where It Grows

Africa, Amazon, American Samoa, Andamans, Antigua and Barbuda, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bougainville, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central America, Christmas Island, Colombia, Congo DR, Cook Is., Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Fiji, French Polynesia, FSM, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guam, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia*, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marquesas, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niue, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific*, Papua New Guinea*, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Pohnpei, Polynesia, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Rotuma, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South America, Sri Lanka, Tahiti, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wallis & Futuna, West Africa, West Indies,

Cultivation

Trees are mostly grown from seed and often grows wild. Flowers are bisexual and there are no apparent pollination problems. The seeds do not produce true to type so that poor and sour fruit are often produced. Seed normally germinate within one month. It is possible to grow plants from cuttings although it is difficult. Large cuttings should be used. Doing this would enable better types of fruit to be re-grown. It can also be grown using budding. Seedling trees are larger and more vigorous than budded or grafted trees. Tree spacing varies from 7.5 m to 12 m. Young trees benefit by shade during their first year. The top can be cut off trees to give a lower and more spreading tree. Large cuttings can be used with difficulty. Trees can be topped to give a lower tree with spreading branches.

Propagation

Seed germinates within one month. The plant can be grown from quite large cuttings. Large stumps stuck in the ground are used to produce live fence posts. Air layers root easily. Grafting or shield budding onto Spondias rootstocks is possible, though seedling trees tend to be more vigorous than budded or grafted ones.

Other Uses

The plant is grown as a living fence. Its heartwood is light brown and the sapwood whitish to light yellow. The wood is light in weight, moderately soft, and not durable.

Production

Trees may bear from 4-5 years old from seed. Cuttings take 2-3 years. Fruiting occurs seasonally from Jan. to April in the southern hemisphere. Fruit matures in about 200 days.

Other Information

Moderately common in lowland rainforests in Papua New Guinea and also grown in villages. Fruit quality varies. It is common and popular in Vietnam. Fruit are sold in local markets. It is cultivated.

Notes

In Cairns Botanical Garden as Eva dulcis.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Aceitero, Ainakori, Aio, Aioo kwai, Alabbyud, Ambarella, Amra, Auri, Bi, Bilati amra, Bogwia, Cajamanga, Cajarana, Caju-manga, Ciruela dulce, Citero, Doismango, Emberrela, Gnoe, Gway, Gwe-cho, Hevi, Hog plum, Jew plum, Kalok, Kedongdong jawa, Kedongdong, Kedongdong manis, Makaw farang, Makok-farang, Ma kok waan, Malai, Mkak, Moimbakam, Ngongoe, Noli, Nyia tevi, Opiti, Otaheite apple, Piraka, Polynesian vi apple, Sangop, Taperiba, Tevi, Trai coc, Ughi, Uhigai, Uli, Uuli auki, Vi, Vi-apple, Viteletele, Vivisi, Wi-tree, Wi, Yuplon

References (165)

• Golden apple references - often as Spondias cytherea.
• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 42
• Adelb, 1948, Blumea 6:326.
• Airy Shaw and Forman, 1967, Kew Bulletin 21:10 f2:3 & 4
• Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 2496

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