Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Phyllanthus emblica L. (PHYLLANTHACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Indian Gooseberry, Emblic, Malacca Tree

Description

Small deciduous tree to 23 m tall. Leaves simple, 8-23 mm long, distichous. Flowers unisexual, male and female flowers on the same tree, in axils of leaves, yellow. Fruits 1-1.3 cm across, globose with fleshy exocarp, pale green ripening yellowish white.

Ecology

In open areas of deciduous and evergreen forests.

Distribution

S China, Taiwan, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia.

Uses

Fruits are edible but very sour, often pickled with sugar.