Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Muntingia calabura L. (MUNTINGIACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Calabura, Japanese Cherry, Buah Cheri, Malayan Cherry, Jamaican Cherry, Cherry Tree

Description

Small evergreen tree, 3-12 m height with fan-like branches. Leaves 4-14 cm long, ovate-lanceolate with serrated margin. Flowers white, 1.2-2 cm wide and many prominent stamens. Fruits 1-1.25 cm across, globose, green ripening orangey-yellow, with soft pulp filled with tiny seeds.


Ecology

Widely grown as a village tree, often naturalised.

Distribution

Tropical America.

Uses

Fruits are edible, sometimes made into a jam.