Dracontomelon

Genus of fruits and plants

Dracontomelon
Fruits of Dracontomelon duperreanum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Subfamily: Spondiadoideae
Genus: Dracontomelon
Blume, 1850.

Dracontomelon[1] (Vietnamese: chi sấu[2]) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, growing mostly in SE Asia and the Pacific islands. The fruit may be used in local cuisine, especially as souring agents.

Species

Dracontomelon vitiense − Espiritu Santo island, Vanuatu.
  • Dracontomelon costatum Blume - Borneo, Sumatra
  • Dracontomelon dao Merr. & Rolfe (many synonyms) - SE Asia to Solomon Islands
  • Dracontomelon duperreanum Pierre (syn. D. sinense) - southern China & Vietnam
  • Dracontomelon laoticum C.M.Evrard & Tardieu
  • Dracontomelon lenticulatum Wilkinson[3] - New Guinea
  • Dracontomelon macrocarpum Li - China (Yunnan)
  • Dracontomelon petelotii Tardieu - northern Vietnam[4]
  • Dracontomelon schmidii Tardieu - Vietnam
  • Dracontomelon vitiense Engl. - Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Western Samoa (Upolu)

Reclassified species

The following are known synonyms:

  • Dracontomelon cuspidatum Blume: syn. of Dacryodes rostrata (Bl.) H. J. Lam
  • D. laoticum Evrard & Tardieu: syn. of Protium serratum (Wall. ex Colebr.) Engl.
  • D. pilosum Seem.: syn. of Didymocheton alliaceus (Miq.) Mabb.[5]
  • D. papuanum Lauterb.: syn. of Protium macgregorii (F.M.Bailey) Leenh.
  • D. multijugum Radlk. (formerly C.DC.): syn. of Toona ciliata var. multijuga (Kurz) Panigrahi & S.C.Mishra
Dracontomelon duperreanum

Culinary Use

The most commonly eaten species is Dracontomelon duperreanum, which produces an edible fruit that is eaten in Cambodia, Vietnam[2] and China. In Vietnamese, the plant is called cây sấu and is a common urban tree in Hanoi; the fruit is called quả sấu. The fruit is used in Vietnamese cuisine both as a souring agent and a candied treat similar to the Japanese umeboshi. The treat is popular among youths. In Chinese, the fruit is called 仁面.

References

  1. ^ Blume, Carl L. von (1850) In: Museum Botanicum Lugduno-Batavum sive stirpium Exoticarum, Novarum vel Minus Cognitarum ex Vivis aut Siccis Brevis Expositio et Descriptio (Blume, ed.), 1 [15]: 230-231.
  2. ^ a b Phạm Hoàng Hộ (2003) Cây Cỏ Việt Nam: an Illustrated Flora of Vietnam vol. II publ. Nhà Xuẩt Bản Trẻ, HCMC, VN.
  3. ^ The Plant list (20 January 2018)
  4. ^ GBIF: Dracontomelon petelotii
  5. ^ Dracontomelon pilosum Seem. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 14 February 2024.

External links

  • Media related to Dracontomelon at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Dracontomelon at Wikispecies
Taxon identifiers
Dracontomelon