Prickly bridelia tree
Bridelia insulana

Family: Phyllanthaceae

What it is like

A small tree. It can have spines on the stem. It grows 3-10 m high. (It can be a tall tree up to 25 m). The trunk can be 30-40 cm across. The bark is grey to brown and slightly rough. The leaves occur singly but are arranged in spirals along the branch. The leaves are broadly oval and 18 cm long by 9 cm wide. The flowers are in groups in the axils of the leaves. Male and female flowers are separate but on the same plant. There are 15-30 flowers in a group. There are 10 fruit in a clump. The fruit is oval and fleshy and 1 cm long. They can be orange with red dots or red. There are 3-6 seeds.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in primary and secondary rainforest. It grows from sea level to 1,500 m altitude. In XTBG Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Asia, China, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Pohon handeri besar, Pohon kipahang, Taninthayi

Synonyms

Bridelia minutiflora Hook. f.; Bridelia penangiana Hook. f.; Bridelia nicobarica Chakrab. & Vasudeva; Bridelia platyphylla Merr.; and others