Hongjiten
Rourea minor

Family: Connaraceae

What it is like

A shrub up to 2 m high or a woody climber up to 25 m tall. The leaves are compound and shiny. The flowers are small and white. The fruit are in pods about 3 cm long. They are curved. The seed is covered in a bright red aril.

There are 40-70 Rourea species. They are tropical. There are 46 Rourea species in tropical America.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in hill lands, thickets, bamboo woods, dense mixed forests, up to 800 m altitude in southern China. In West Africa it grows in river banks in closed forest and savannah. In Yunnan, China it grows between 600-1300 m altitude. It occurs in the Western Ghats in India.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, American Samoa, Angola, Asia, Australia, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, China, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indochina, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Northeastern India, Philippines, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Vietnam, West Africa, Zambia

How it is used for food

The arils or coverings around the seeds are eaten.

It is a commonly used fruit in West Africa.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, root

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Botrobatra tiama, Chandrapudi, Deni m'bro, Ekapa, Ganganrisse, Hongjiten, Hong ye teng, Huleechalaballa, Humatarakwa, Huma-tarakwa, Kake, Kalavidhara, Kimbar mahalbaa, Konone soro, Kononi soro, Kowatothi, Kuriel, Makoi lata, Marisoma, Mbaching, Niania, Sessenkergu,Soppu, Taroli, Varadara, Varadharo, Vidhara, Vitaraka, Vudhadaki, Wakeri, Yangara buhili

Synonyms

Aegiceras minus Gaertner; Connarus roxburghii W. J. Hooker & Arnott; Rourea acuminata Hook.f.; Rourea bamangensis De Willd.; Rourea caudata Planch.; Rourea chiliantha Gilg.; Rourea commutata Planch; Rourea gudjuana Gilg.; Rourea millettü Planchon; Rourea platysepala Baker; Rourea pulchella Planch.; Rourea santaloides Wight & Arnott; Santaloides afzelii (R. Br. ex Planch.) G. Schellenb.; Santaloides erectum Schellenb.; Santaloides minus Schellenb.; Santaloides floridum Kuntze; Santaloides gossweileri Exell & Mendonca; Santaloides roxburghii Kuntze; Santaloides splendidum (Gilg.) G. Schellenb.; Tali minor (Gaertn.) M. R. Almeida; and others