Thorny randia
Randia armata

Family: Rubiaceae

What it is like

A shrub. It can be climbing. It grows 5 m high. It can be a tree to 11 m high. The bark is reddish-brown but becomes grey. The flowering shoots are short. They have 1-2 pairs of sharp thorns. The male flowers are in bundles and the female flowers occur singly. The stalks have soft grey hairs. The fruit is a round berry. It is 2-3 cm across. The fruit are green but turn orange-yellow. The pulp is edible. They have some hairs. The seeds are in 2 rows. They are flattened and black.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in moist and wet lowland forest. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guianas, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South America (country/location of origin), Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Chanlla kaspi, Crucito, Guaticuruzu una, Juazeiro, Limoeiro-do-mato, Miupe'jeri, Spikrimaka, Torolillo

Synonyms

Randia spinosa (Jacq.) H. Karst; Basanacantha spinosa (Jacq.) K. Schum.; Gardenia armata Sw.; Gardenia humboldtiana Roem. & Schult.; Mussaenda humboldtiana (Roem. & Schult.) Steud.; Mussaenda pubescens Kunth; Mussaenda spinosa Jacq.; Randia ovata Duchass. ex Griseb.;