Plant Name Flacourtia indica
Common name: Governor's Plum, Batoka Plum
Marathi: Ghugarval
Hindi: katai,kukai
English: Indian plum, Mauritius plum
Identification guide
General
Trunk, bark bark is pale grey, reveals pale orange patches
Leaves
Red or pink when young, ovular in shape, toothed edge, leathery.
Flowers
Unisexual or occasionally bisexual, male flowers in axillary racemes 0.5-2 cm long, female flowers in short racemes or solitary; pedicles up to 5 mm.
Fuits
Globular, reddish to reddish-black or purple when ripe, fleshy, up to 10-seeded.
Habit / Habitat
Dry-deciduous tree
It is commonly found in dry deciduous and thorn forest. It is drought resistant and grows in variety of soil including limestone, clayey and sandy soils1.
Occurrence
It is native to India, South African countries. Although it is exotic in countries like Sri Lanka, Puerto Rico Virgin Islands, some of the Southeast Asian countries.
Edible parts
Used by tribal community in Jawhar Fruits
Method of consumption
Jawhar tribal Fruits are directly consumed with ripe.
Nutritional and medicinal information
Nutritional value
The fruit contains;
Calcium
Dietary fiber
Protein
Fat
Vitamin A and C
Potassium
Phosphorous
Iron
Niacin
Thiamine
Riboflavin
Propagation and Storage
Season of collection
March to July
How to grow it?
Dispersion of seeds is through birds. Seeds
Method of storage
Propagules: Seeds
Edible parts: Fruits are perishable, hence consumed when picked from the tree or within two days.
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Spermatophyta
Sub-division: Angiospermae
Class: Dicotyledonae
Sub-class: Polypetalae
Series: Thalamiflorae
Order: Parietales
Family: Bixaceae
Genus: Flacourtia
Species: indica
References
- http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Flacourtia_indica.PDF
- http://www.purenutritionfacts.com/flacourtia-indica/