AgroForestryTree Database
Spondias purpurea
 Species identityEcology and distributionPropagation and managementFunctional usesPests and diseasesAdditional InfoBibliographyImages |
Species identity
TaxonomySynonym(s)
Common names
(Creole) : abricotier batard, ciroyer d’ Amerique, ciruela sanjanuera, siwel wob
(English) : great hog plum, Jamaican plum, Mexican plum, purple mombin, red mombin, Spanish plum
(Filipino) : hevi
(French) : abricotier batard, cirouellier, ciroyer d'Amerique
(Indonesian) : kedondong manis
(Khmer) : mokak
(Lao (Sino-Tibetan)) : kook hvaan
(Malay) : kedondong
(Portuguese) : caja, imbuzeiro
(Spanish) : ciruela, ciruela colorada, ciruela del pais, ciruela morada, ciruelo, jobillo, jobo frances ovo, jobo negro
(Vietnamese) : Cóc
Botanic description
Spondias purpurea is a single stemmed tree or shrub up to 15m tall with a medium canopy and a spreading crown. The bark is grey or brown, smooth and thick, becoming rough and warty on large trunks. It develops a poor crooked stem form and shallow lateral roots. The large branches are brittle and easily broken. Leaves pinnate 10-20 cm long with 9-25 almost stalkless, elliptic, thin, yellow-green leaflets, 1.8-3.75 cm long, rounded, or short-pointed at apex, short-pointed and slightly oblique at base, with edges slightly wavy toothed. Leaflet blades are more or less paired except for the terminal one. The stout twigs are green and lenticelled. Flowers red or pink in lateral minutely haired panicles floral parts in fives, the calyx is 5-lobed, there are 5 petals (0.3 cm long), stamens 10, and pistil on a disk. Ovary 5-celled with 3-4 short styles. Fruits yellow or purplish-red, cylindrical, short stalked, 2.5 -3 cm long. The yellow juicy pulp surrounds a large stone, 1.25- 1.8 cm, fibrous on the outside, and containing 5 or fewer seeds. The genus Spondias, consisting of 8-10 fruit species of American and Asian origin is prevalent throughout the tropics. The yellow-fruited form of S. purpurea is considered a separate species by other authors. The specific epithet means purple.
Ecology and distribution
History of cultivationS. purpurea is a commercial fruit crop in the American tropics. Other Spondias species native to South America are of great local importance as subsistence crops. S. purpurea is generally considered superior in quality to other species, which grow in the same environments.
Natural Habitat
Is a light demanding species in dry areas with shallow soils.
Geographic distribution
Native : Bahamas, Haiti, Mexico
Exotic : Puerto Rico
Biophysical limitsAltitude: 150- 1 050 m Mean annual temperature: 22 deg C Mean annual rainfall: 1 500- 2 100 mm Soil type: Prefers medium/ loamy soils. Can tolerate seasonal waterlogging and shallow soils but is vulnerable to acidic soils and strong winds.
Reproductive Biology
S. purpurea is a hermaphroditic tree. Flowers in the period between March and April and fruits when defoliated. Fruits ripen from June to July. S. purpurea undergoes defoliation in autumn and dormancy during winter.
Propagation and management
Propagation methodsThe trees are easily propagated from cuttings and seeds.Tree Management
Increasing P and K fertilization would improve yield and fruit quality. Tree defoliation affects the mean number and weight of fruits per tree. Lopping can be done to manage tree growth, however severe defoliation may result in virtual failure or reduced seed production in the year of defoliation. While current production of ovo is insufficient for large scale industrial processing of the fruit, the best alternative to maximize the income of the small holders producing ovo is for them to concentrate on producing "value added products" such as jams, ice creams, alcoholic beverages and vinegars.
Functional uses
ProductsFood: The leaves, seeds and fruits are edible. The fruits have a flavour resembling that of plums. A high calorific value is recorded for the edible fruit portion,(74 kcal/100 g), this is principally due to ovo's high concentration of total carbohydrates (19.1%). Fructose, glucose and sucrose together account for 65% of the soluble matter. Unlike other fruits, ovo retains a fair amount of starch in its mesocarp. Fodder: Shoot, leaf and seed are used as fattening feed for pigs and cattle. Fuel: The easily cut and brittle branches are potential fuelwood. Timber: Sapwood whitish, heartwood soft and brittle. The wood is used in fencing. Gum or resin: The seeds have a thick gum coating commonly used in pork meats and chilli stews. This gum has good solubility in water and on hydrolysis yields polysaccharides. Aspartic acid and valine are its major amino acid constituents. Medicine: In Haiti a number of medicinal uses for this tree are reported; for swollen glands and trauma the leaf juice is taken orally, for headaches the crushed leaves are applied as a head bath, the fruit is consumed in large amounts to clear effects of constipation, other indications treated using preparations from this plant are dysentery and diarrhoea. Tree parts also used in preparation of a herbal remedy for sore throat. The leaves of this tree exhibit anti-bacterial properties. Other products: Some cosmetic and hygienic products e.g soap are manufactured from parts of this tree.Services
Shade or shelter: It is a good shade tree. Soil improver: A seasonal variation occurs in leaf litter composition. N, Calcium and Magnesium levels were adequate whereas P and K levels were below the optimal range. Ornamental: Can be planted as ornamental trees, they are a beautiful sight when in flower and fruit. Intercropping: S. purpurea is a host tree for many insect pests which could use it as a possible dissemination point for colonizing neighboring agricultural fields as food sources. Prospects of intercropping S. purpurea with plants vulnerable to these insects can be discouraging. Other services: Employed to support cultivated orchids as stakes.
Pests and diseasesThe mite Brevipalpus salasi produces an irregular yellowing of the leaves and a slight scaly appearance to fruits of this plant. Parasitizing fruit flies (Anastrepha spp.) dwell on S. purpurea.
Bibliography
Aguiar-Menezes EL and Menezes EB. 1997. Natural occurrence of parasitoids of Anastrepha spp. Schiner, 1868 (Diptera: Tephritidae) in different host plants, in Itaguai (RJ), Brazil. Biological Control. 8(1):1-6.Chemsak JA and Noguera FA. 1993. Annotated checklist of the Cerambycidae of the Estacion de Biologia Chamela, Jalisco, Mexico, (Coleoptera) with descriptions of new genera and species. Folia Entomologica Mexicana.1995( 89):55-102.
Koziol MJ and Macia MJ. 1998. Chemical composition, nutritional evaluation, and economic prospects of Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae). Economic Botany. 52:(4):373-380.
Little EL, Wadsworth FH. 1964. Common trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Agricultural Handbook. No. 249. US Department of Agriculture. Washington DC.
Ochoa R. 1986. Brevipalpus salasi, a new species from Costa Rica (Acari: Tenuipalpidae), Lab. Acarologia. International Journal of Acarology. 12(3): 155-157.
Ramirez-Martinez M et al. 1994. Discovery of the larger grain borer in a tropical deciduous forests in Mexico. Journal of Applied Entomology. 118(4-5): 354-360.
Salazar-Garcia S and Becerra-Bernal E. 1994. Phenology and nutritional dynamics in leaves of Mexican plum. Revista Fitotecnia Mexicana. 17(1):86-93.
Timyan J. 1996. Bwa Yo: important trees of Haiti. South-East Consortium for International Development. Washington D.C.