'anume
Diospyros foliosa

Family: Ebenaceae

What it is like

A medium sized tree. It grows 10 m high. The young stems can be slightly hairy. The bark is dark. The leaves are simple and alternate. The blade can be oval or sword shaped and 3-11 cm long. The leaves are darker on the upper side. The leaf stalk is 2-11 mm long. The flower cluster has 6-25 flowers. The flowers are 5-15 mm long. The flowers are of one sex and both sexes occur on the one tree. The fruit is red or yellow and has 1-4 seeds. The fruit are 1.3-2.5 cm long.

There are about 485 species of Diospyros mostly in the tropics.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in coastal forests in Samoa from sea level to 150 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Fiji, Niue, Pacific, Samoa, Tonga, Wallis, Wallis & Futuna

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Ulalo

Synonyms

Diospyros elliptica (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) P. S. Green [Illegitimate]; Diospyros ellipticifolia var. ellipticifolia Fosberg; Diospyros ellipticifolia Bakh.; Diospyros major var. elliptica (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) Bakh.; Diospyros ferrea sensu Yuncker; Diospyros elliptica sensu P.S.Green; Ebenus elliptica (J. R. Forst. & G. Forst.) Kuntze; Ebenus foliosa (Rich. ex A. Gray) Kuntze; Ferriola ellipticifolia Stokes [Illegitimate]; Maba ebenus Spreng.; Maba elliptica J.R. & G. Forster; Maba foliosa Rich. ex A. Gray; Maba savaiiensis Christoph.; Mimusops moluccana Kostel.;