Chrysophyllum lanceolatum var. stellatocarpon
Family: Sapotaceae
What it is like
An evergreen tree. It grows 10-20 m tall. The branches are yellow and hairy. The leaf stalk is 2-7 mm long. The leaf blade is oval or sword shaped. Leaves are 5-12 cm long by 1.7-4 cm wide. They are papery with rust coloured hairs on both surfaces. The fruit are brown to purplish black. They are round but slightly flattened. The fruit are 5 ribbed and 1.5-3 cm across. They have between 1 and 5 seeds. The seeds are compressed and with a thick seed coat.
The roots and leaves are used medicinally. There are about 80-150 Chrysophyllum species. They are mostly in tropical America. There are 44 species in tropical America. Now Chrysophyllum roxburghii
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in tropical and subtropical locations. They occur in mid altitude forests in Guangdong, Guangxi provinces in China. In Assam it grows to 1,000 m above sea level.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Australia, China, Cambodia, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam
How it is used for food
The ripe fruit are eaten.
It is a cultivated plant.
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
Plants are grown from seed. Seed should be planted fresh.
Its other names
Local names
Bon pitha, Jin ye shu, Thaibon biphang