Yeung Shi Ue Shue, Shan du ying
Elaeocarpus sylvestris

Family: Elaeocarpaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows up to 15 m tall. The leaves are oval and 4-12 cm long by 2-7 cm wide. The fruit is oval and 1-1.2 cm long by 0.7 cm wide. It is black.

There are about 360 Elaeocarpus species mostly in the tropics.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in evergreen forests between 300 and 2000 m altitude in southern China. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Indochina, Korea, SE Asia, Taiwan, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten raw.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

In China plants flower in April to May and fruit May to August.

Its other names

Local names

Com trau, Na ci ci ha

Synonyms

Adenodus sylvestris Lour.; Elaeocarpus decipiens F. B. Forbes & Hemsl.; Elaeocarpus decipiens var. changii Y. Tang; Elaeocarpus ellipticus Makino; Elaeocarpus henryi Hance; Elaeocarpus kwangtungensis Hu; Elaeocarpus makinoi Kaneh.; Elaeocarpus omeiensis Rehd. ex Wilson; Elaeocarpus pachycarpus Koidz.; Elaeocarpus sylvestris var. ellipticus (Thunb.) H. Hara; Elaeocarpus sylvestris var. pachycarpus (Koidz.) H. Ohba; Elaeocarpus zollingeri K. Koch;