Fruit trees we are looking for
Dillenia indica
Dillenia indica
Dillenia indica, commonly known as babula or elephant apple is a species of shrubs of the family Dilleniaceae.
She is from Asia: China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.
It can be used as an ornamental shrub. The pulp of its fruit is aromatic. It is a species rich in tannins that can serve as a dye.
Description
It is a large evergreen shrub or a small to medium-sized tree up to 15 m tall. The leaves are 15 to 36 cm long and have a distinct undulating surface with marked veins. Its branches are used to make good firewood. The flowers are large, 15 to 20 cm in diameter, with five white petals and many yellow stamens. Its characteristic round fruits are large, greenish yellow, have many seeds and are edible. The fruit is an aggregate of 15 carpels 5 to 12 cm in diameter, each carpel containing five seeds incorporated into an edible but fibrous pulp.
taxonomy
Dillenia indica was one of the many species described for the first time by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of its Systema Naturae in 1759.
use
The fruit pulp is sour and used in Indian cuisine in curry, jam (ouu khatta) and jelly. It is often mixed with coconut and spices to make chutneys. It is called ঔ টেঙা and widely used in Dal and the curry fish in Assam.
In India, it is not grown commercially but is found in the wild in the Terai and Dooars region and in Katha reserve forest (RF), Burihiding RF, Duarmara RF, Tarani RF, Dumduma RF, Digboi RF, Bogapani RF and Upper Dihing RF [(Upper Assam Zone)]. As it is a main source of food for elephants, monkeys and deer, collecting fruit in the central areas of the forest is prohibited. The commercial sale of the fruit is also prohibited in order to help the forest food chain system to completely disband. However, no law has been implemented so far.
Ecology
Dillenia indica produces a large hard fruit accessible only to megaherbivores. An interesting study conducted by ecologists Sekar and Sukumar in the Buxa Tiger Reserve has shown that Asian elephants seem to have a particular fondness for D. indica fruits, and therefore a major seed distributor for this tree. With the prospect of extinction of elephants, this tree has developed a backup system, whereby its hard fruits, accessible only to megaherbivores, slowly soften during the dry season to allow access to smaller animals, such as the macaques. rodents and squirrels. The seeds of old fruits and tender fruits may well germinate, allowing the persistence of this tree to be independent of the survival of its main megaherbivore disperser.
Dillenia indica, commonly known as babula or elephant apple is a species of shrubs of the family Dilleniaceae.
She is from Asia: China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.
It can be used as an ornamental shrub. The pulp of its fruit is aromatic. It is a species rich in tannins that can serve as a dye.
Description
It is a large evergreen shrub or a small to medium-sized tree up to 15 m tall. The leaves are 15 to 36 cm long and have a distinct undulating surface with marked veins. Its branches are used to make good firewood. The flowers are large, 15 to 20 cm in diameter, with five white petals and many yellow stamens. Its characteristic round fruits are large, greenish yellow, have many seeds and are edible. The fruit is an aggregate of 15 carpels 5 to 12 cm in diameter, each carpel containing five seeds incorporated into an edible but fibrous pulp.
taxonomy
Dillenia indica was one of the many species described for the first time by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of its Systema Naturae in 1759.
use
The fruit pulp is sour and used in Indian cuisine in curry, jam (ouu khatta) and jelly. It is often mixed with coconut and spices to make chutneys. It is called ঔ টেঙা and widely used in Dal and the curry fish in Assam.
In India, it is not grown commercially but is found in the wild in the Terai and Dooars region and in Katha reserve forest (RF), Burihiding RF, Duarmara RF, Tarani RF, Dumduma RF, Digboi RF, Bogapani RF and Upper Dihing RF [(Upper Assam Zone)]. As it is a main source of food for elephants, monkeys and deer, collecting fruit in the central areas of the forest is prohibited. The commercial sale of the fruit is also prohibited in order to help the forest food chain system to completely disband. However, no law has been implemented so far.
Ecology
Dillenia indica produces a large hard fruit accessible only to megaherbivores. An interesting study conducted by ecologists Sekar and Sukumar in the Buxa Tiger Reserve has shown that Asian elephants seem to have a particular fondness for D. indica fruits, and therefore a major seed distributor for this tree. With the prospect of extinction of elephants, this tree has developed a backup system, whereby its hard fruits, accessible only to megaherbivores, slowly soften during the dry season to allow access to smaller animals, such as the macaques. rodents and squirrels. The seeds of old fruits and tender fruits may well germinate, allowing the persistence of this tree to be independent of the survival of its main megaherbivore disperser.