Rice soup fruit, Dense-flowered embelia
Embelia vestita

Family: Primulaceae

What it is like

A straggling shrub. It grows 5 m high. It can be a woody climber. The leaves are oval and 5-10 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. The flowers are of separate sexes. They are small and 2 mm long. The fruit are a flattened round shape and 5 mm across.

Also put in the family Myrsinaceae.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. It is native to the eastern Himalayas in China. It grows on rocky hillsides between 1,000-1,700 m altitude. In Sikkim it grows between 900-3,000 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Taiwan, Tibet, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The fruit have a sweet sour taste and are eaten fresh with added sugar. The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable especially with fish.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Amilpati, Bonpui, Tling

Synonyms

Embelia nagushia D. Don; Embelia undulata (A. DC.) Mez; and others