Archer cherry
Aidia racemosa

Family: Rubiaceae

What it is like

A shrub or tree. It grows up to 15 m tall. The bark is light grey. The leafy twigs are smooth. The leaves are oval and 9-17 cm long by 3-5.5 cm wide. They are thin and leathery. They have 5-8 pairs of secondary veins. The base of the leaf is rounded and the tip is pointed. The leaf stalk is 1-2 cm long. The flower stalk is branched and has up to 50 flowers. The flowers are white. They have a jasmine scent. The fruit is a berry which is red when ripe. It is 5-15 mm long by 4-10 mm across. Fruit are in clusters in the axils of leaves. There are several tiny seeds.

There are 25-50 Aidia species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in coastal swamps and dry monsoon forest. It also occurs in lowland and upland rainforest.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, China, East Timor, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Micronesia, Pacific, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Philippines, Samoa, SE Asia, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten when ripe. They fall to the ground when ripe and are collected off the ground.

It is not known if it is used for food in Papua New Guinea.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

It can be grown from fresh seed or cuttings.

It is fast growing. In Australia flowers are December to February and fruit from April to July.

Its other names

Local names

Kerumes

Synonyms

Aidia cochinchinensis sensu auct., non Lour; Aidia graeffei (Reinecke)Tirvengadum; Randia cochinchinensis sensu auct., non (Lour.)Merr.; Randia graeffei Reinecke; Randia graeffei Reinecke var. alba Reinecke; Randia densiflora; Randia racemosa;