From the
Tropical Fruit News,
Rare Fruit Council
International Miami RFCI
by Gene Joyner
The Bignay
The bignay, Antidesma
bunius,
is a medium sized evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia and Malaya.
The bignay can reach heights of 35 to 40 feet, and has a spreading
canopy with large dark green glossy alternate leaves, 4 to 6 inches in
length and 2 to 3 inches wide. Trees grow at rates from 2 to 4 feet in
height in a year, and normally start fruit production when they are
about 12 to 15 feet in height.
Separate sexes occur, so it is necessary for good production to have
both male and female trees or a male branch grafted on a female tree.
Isolated female trees may produce some fruit but not in large
quantities. Fruits are produced during the summer and occur in
grapelike clusters of sometimes 20 to 30 fruits. Individual fruit size
is about ½ inch in diameter and usually a dark, purplish red when
mature. It is very similar to seagrape fruit clusters, only smaller.
Each fruit contains a single seed in acid, purplish red pulp which will
stain fingers and clothing, so caution is advised when eating this
fruit.
Usually there are more fruits produced than one can harvest, so make
sure that these trees are not planted too close to driveways, sidewalks
or other surfaces where fallen fruits will create a problem with
staining.
Bignays are propagated by seeds, air layering or grafting and generally
grow well on most types of soils. In alkaline soil, some minor element
deficiencies might occur but this can be corrected with nutritional
sprays.
Trees are relatively cold hardy; mature trees will take temperatures
down to about 26° F. without major damage, but young trees may be
injured at 29° F.
Bignay is a type of tree which is well adapted for container culture,
and, when grown in 20-30 gallon containers will produce acceptable
quantities of fruit.
There are several varieties of Antidesma (sometimes know as Chinese
laurel; Ed) grown in Florida and the major difference in them is the
size and color of fruit. In most varieties, the individual fruits ripen
unevenly in the fruit cluster which makes harvesting a more time
consuming practice, but it is well worth the effort for most people.
Antidesma makes high quality wine, syrup, jam or jelly. Fruits can also
be frozen to be used at a future date, and frozen fruits hold their
quality quite well. If you don't eat all of the fruit birds and other
animals will flock to the tree during ripening time. Even with the loss
to birds and other animals there is still usually plenty of fruit left
for you to harvest.
Once well established, bignay trees seem to be quite drought tolerant
and can go for several weeks without irrigation during our spring dry
season. They prefer though, to have a good watering about once a week
for good growth and fruit development.
Back to
Bignay Page
|
|