Flacourtia sangomas – Nutritional Value, Health Benefits

Runeala plum is a species that is cultivated around villages and naturalized throughout tropical regions especially in East Africa and tropical Asia. It is naturalized in primary and secondary rainforests up to 1500 m altitude. It is commonly found in Southeast Asia, Southern China, Eastern Malaya, and also in the Philippines. It prefers well-drained fertile soils and full sun. It is sensitive to frost. Flacourtia Jangomas is inherent to African and Asian tropics and subtropics. It is well known among the Caribbean as locals utilize the fruits in dishes and drinks.

Runeala plum, Flacourtia sangomas, is a lowland and mountain rain forest tree that belongs to the family Salicaceae or Willow. The tree is common in Southern India and has immense culinary and medical significance especially in Kerala where it is known as lovlolika or public. Fruits are consumed both raw and cooked. The bark is also used for medicinal purposes. It is also harvested for its lumber. It is regarded to be the fundamental host plant of Queensland fruit fly. Flowers bloom from December to April together with new leaves with fresh green color.

Plant description

Runeala plum is a large, erect, and deciduous shrub to a small tree that reaches 5 to 10 meters high. The older branches and trunk are unarmed, young branches are lenticellate or spiny with simple/divaricate spines. The bark is flaky, light brown to reddish-brown. Leaves are alternate, narrow-ovate, ovate-elliptic to ovate-oblong about 7-12 cm by 2.5-5 cm. The apex is tapering to narrowly acuminate with cuneate to rounded base, entire margins, sinuate to sub-serrate to crenate, glabrous and shiny above and dull below. Juvenile leaves are pinkish to reddish-brown. Flowers are white to greenish and honey-scented on slender pedicles about 1 to 1.5 cm. Sepals are ovate-obtuse, sparingly pubescent, and greenish. Flowers (male) are glabrous and stamens with 2 to 3 mm filaments. Flowers (female) is flask-shaped to the sub-globose ovary which is 2 to 3 mm across having 4 to 6 styles in a connate, distinct column and slightly free at apices with reniform, dilated, and recurved stigma. Fruits are sub-globose, pale green to dull brownish-red or purple, about 1.7 to 2.5 cm across. The fruit pulp is greenish to yellow, acid-sweet that encloses hard, flat, and pale yellow seeds.

Stems and Leaves

Branches and trunks are thornless when old and are densely armed with simple/branched woody thorns when it is younger. Bark varies in color from light brown or grey to copper-red or pinkish-buff in color and flakes off in thin scales. Leaves are narrowly egg-shaped to oblong and have pointed tips. Leaves are hairless, toothed, 5-11 cm long, and 2-5.5 cm wide. Upper surfaces are glossy and undersides appear to be dull. Leaves form on a short stalk measuring 6-8 mm long and are arranged alternately along the stems.

Flowers and Fruit

Flowers form in few-flowered clusters in axillary racemes. The flowers are fragrant, unisexual, and borne on separate plants. It is usually found before or with first leaves in spring. The clusters of male flowers are 5 to 30 mm long comprising a few rounded flowers forming on slender stalks (about 5 to 15 mm long). The male flower has four tiny greenish sepals usually broad with rounded tips. Female flowers are 10 to 15 mm long and consist of a few flowers having similar sepals to male flowers. Flowers are followed by round berries usually 15 to 25 mm across. The color turns from green to dull brownish-red or dark purple. Fruits have greenish-yellow pulp that contains 4 to 5 flattened seeds which are 10 mm long and 7 mm wide.

Traditional uses

• Fruits are used to cure diarrhea?, nausea?, and biliousness.
• Leaf decoction is useful for treating diarrhea?.
• Powdered leaves are used to provide relief from coughs and bronchitis.
• Apply the bark and leaves on aching teeth and bleeding gums.
• Gargle with bark infusion in order to alleviate hoarseness.
• Use the poultice of the root on sores and skin eruptions or in the mouth to soothe toothache.
• Leaves decoction is used for treating dysentery, diarrhea?, and piles.
• Fruits are used to overcome digestive problems, fevers, biliousness, and nausea?.
• Dried leaves are used for treating asthma in India.
• In Malaysia, a leaf decoction is used to cure diarrhea, promote digestion and roots juice is helpful for herpes infection?.
• Apply the root paste to ulcers, sores and soothe an inflamed throat.
• Fruits are used to treat jaundice? and enlarged spleen.
• Fruits are also used to treat liver-associated problems.
• In South Indian traditional medicine, the plant is used for health ailments such as skin disease, infection?, or irritation, often causing pain?, swelling?, heat, or redness. সহজ বাংলা: শরীরের প্রদাহ; ব্যথা, ফোলা বা লালভাব হতে পারে।" data-rx-term="inflammation" data-rx-definition="Inflammation is the body’s response to injury, infection, or irritation, often causing pain, swelling, heat, or redness. সহজ বাংলা: শরীরের প্রদাহ; ব্যথা, ফোলা বা লালভাব হতে পারে।">inflammation?, diarrhea?, tumors, jaundice?, insulin? is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।" data-rx-term="diabetes" data-rx-definition="Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar stays too high because insulin is low or not working well. সহজ বাংলা: রক্তে চিনি বেশি থাকার রোগ।">diabetes?, nausea?, and dyspepsia.
• To prevent rheumatic pains after childbirth, grind the seeds into powder with turmeric and rub it all over the body.

Culinary uses

• Fruits are consumed as a dessert or made into juice, marmalade, jam, syrup, sauces, and pickles.
• Underripe fruits are used for making jellies.
• In Indonesia, young shoots are consumed.
• Leaves and young shoots resemble the taste of rhubarb.

References