Mari-Burrpurr
Diospyros littorea

Family: Ebenaceae

What it is like

A small tree. It grows 15 m tall. Trees are separately male and female. The leaves are simple and 3.5-9.5 m long and 2-4.5 m wide. There can be some hairs underneath the leaf. The leaf stalks are 4-6 mm long. The flowers occur singly in the axils of the leaves. There are 3 petals and they are 6 mm long. The fruit are orange becoming red when ripe. They are 14 mm long and 10 mm wide. There are 1-2 brown seeds. They are 8-10 mm long.

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

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in monsoon forests and occasionally mangroves.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia (country/location of origin), Malesia, Papua New Guinea

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten. They leave a dry taste in the mouth.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Diospyros ferrea var. littorea (R. Br.) Bakh.; Maba buxifolia var. littorea (R. Br.) Hiern; Maba littorea R. Br.;