Levant berries, Fish berries
Anamirta cocculus

Family: Menispermaceae

What it is like

A strong climbing shrub. It can be 15-25 m tall. The stem can be 10 cm across. They twine to the left. The leaves are broadly oval and the leaf stalk can be 6-26 cm long. The flowers are small, yellowish-white and have a sweet scent. The fruit is a fleshy berry. They can be white, red or dark purple. The seeds are deeply cup shaped.

It contains the poison picrotoxin.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows on the edges of forests and on riverbanks, It can be on limestone or sandy soils. It grows up to 400 m above sea level. It occurs in the Western Ghats in India.

Countries/locations it is found in

Andamans, Asia, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam

How it is used for food

Fruit were used as an adulteration in beer. CAUTION: They are poisonous.

Edible parts

Fruit - flavouring, vegetable, caution, poisonous

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Day dong Cau, Kakamari, Oyod peron, Tuba biji

Synonyms

Anamirta baueriana Endl.; Anamirta jucunda Colebr.; Anamirta paniculata Colebr.; Anamirta populifolia (DC.) Miers; Anamirta racemosa Colbr. ex Steud.; Anamirta toxifera Miers; Cocculus indicus Royle; Menispermum cocculus L.; and many others