Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Crateva religiosa G.Forst. (CAPPARACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Dalur, Spider Tree, Temple Tree, Sacred Garlic Pear

Description

Small deciduous tree, 6-15 m tall. Leaves trifoliate, leaflets 8-16 cm long, sessile or nearly sessile. Flowers 3-6 cm across, in loose terminal cluster, greenish-white turning yellowish after opening, appearing before or just after the flush of new leaves. Fruits 3-5 cm diameter, subglobose to ovoid, yellowish.

Ecology

In swampy habitats.

Distribution

India, most of SE Asia, Solomon Is., Micronesia and Polynesia.

Uses

Fruits are edible, often grown in temples and sometimes as ornamental.