
Baskets of purplish-black shiny fruit resembling black olives
somethimes surprise the visitor when he see this tree.
Their brief season limits opportunities of sampling the Java plum
and as the fruit crushes easely,it is never transported any great
distance.
Inside the skin is translucent white flesh,making the fruit very
much like a grape in texture.
Like so many tropical fruits the Java plum has medical
propertys,various parts of the plant being used to treat
stomach,aches,diabetes and ulcers.
It has a high tannin content and the long seed in the center stains
with a purplish-res color.
It's a fast growing tree till 20 mtr 70 ft flowering before the wet
season.
Propagation from seed or cuttings.
Fruits are used to make wine, which is produced in vast quantities
in the Philippines.
Medicine: The seeds and bark are well known in the Far East for the
treatment of dysentery and in control of hyperglycaemia and
glycosuria in diabetic patients. The astringent bark may be used as
a gargle. Fruits are used as a relief for colic, while the wood
yields a sulphate pulp that has medicinal uses. |