From the book
Fruits of Warm Climates
by Julia F. Morton
Otaheite Gooseberry
Phyllanthus acidus Skeels
Phyllanthus distichus Muell. Arg.
Cicca acida Merr.
Cicca disticha L.
EUPHORBIACEAE
Totally unlike a gooseberry except for its acidity, the Otaheite gooseberry, Phyllanthus acidus Skeels (syns. P. distichus Muell. Arg.; Cicca acida Merr.; C. disticha
L.), is another of the few members of the family Euphorbiaceae having
edible fruit. It has been widely distributed and is variously known as
Malay gooseberry, country gooseberry, cheremai, chermela,
chamin-chamin, or kemangor (Malaya); cherme, tjerme, or tjareme (Java);
cherimbillier, tam duot, chum ruot (Vietnam); mayom (Thailand);
mak-nhom (Laos); star gooseberry, West India gooseberry, jimbling,
chalmeri, harpharori (India.); iba (Philippines); ciruela corteña,
manzana estrella (Mexico), pimienta or guinda (El Salvador); grosella
(Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua); groselha (Brazil);
groseillier des Antilles (French West Indies); cereza amarilla, cerezo
comun, cerezo de la tierra (Puerto Rico); cerezo agrio (Venezuela);
cerezo occidental (Cuba); wild plum (Belize, Yucatan); cheramina,
jimbling, short jimbelin (Jamaica).
Description
This is a
curious and ornamental shrub or tree, 6 1/2 to 30 ft (2-9 m) high, with
spreading, dense, bushy crown of thickish, rough, main branches, in
general aspect resembling the Bilimbi (q.v.). At the branch tips are
clusters of deciduous, greenish or pinkish branchlets 6 to 12 in (15-30
cm) long, bearing alternate, short-petioled, ovate or ovate-lanceolate,
pointed leaves 3/4 to 3 in (2-7.5 cm) long, thin, green and smooth on
the upper surface, blue-green with a bloom on the underside; altogether
giving the impression of pinnate leaves with numerous leaflets. There
are 2 tiny, pointed stipules at the base of each leaf. Small, male,
female, and some hermaphrodite, 4-parted, rosy flowers, are borne
together in little clusters arranged in panicles 2 to 5 in (5-12.5 cm)
long, hanging directly from leafless lengths of the main branches and
the upper trunk, and the fruits develop so densely that they form
spectacular masses. The fruit is oblate with 6 to 8 ribs; is 3/8 to 1
in (1-2.5 cm) wide; pale-yellow to nearly white when fully ripe; waxy,
fleshy, crisp, juicy and highly acid. Tightly embedded in the center is
a hard, ribbed stone containing 4 to 6 seeds.
Fig. 58: No fruit is borne in greater abundance than the crisp, sour, pale-yellow Otaheite gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus). When cooked in sugar, the fruit and juice turn ruby-red. In: K. & J. Morton, Fifty Tropical Fruits of Nassau, 1946.
Origin and
Distribution
This
species is believed to have originated in Madagascar and to have been
carried to the East Indies. Quisumbing says that it was introduced,
into the Philippines in prehistoric times and is cultivated throughout
those islands but not extensively. It is more commonly grown in
Indonesia, South Vietnam and Laos, and frequently in northern Malaya,
and in India in home gardens. The tree is a familiar one in villages
and on farms in Guam, where the fruit is favored by children, and
occurs in Hawaii and some other Pacific Islands.
It was
introduced into Jamaica from Timor in 1793 and has been casually spread
throughout the Caribbean islands and to the Bahamas and Bermuda. It has
long been naturalized in southern Mexico and the lowlands of Central
America, and is occasionally grown in Colombia, Venezuela, Surinam,
Peru and Brazil. Formerly an escape from cultivation in South Florida,
there are now only scattered specimens remaining here as curiosities.
Climate
The Otaheite
gooseberry is subtropical to tropical, being sufficiently hardy to
survive and fruit in Tampa, Florida, where cold spells are more severe
than in the southeastern part of the state. It thrives up to an
elevation of 3,000 ft (914 m) in El Salvador.
Soil
The tree grows on a wide range of soils but prefers rather moist sites.
Propagation
The tree is
generally grown from seed but may also be multiplied by budding,
greenwood cuttings, or air-layers. Seedlings will produce a substantial
crop in 4 years.
Pests and
Diseases
The
Otaheite gooseberry is prone to attack by the phyllanthus caterpiller
in Florida. This pest eats the bark and also the young leaves, causing
total defoliation in a few days if not controlled by pesticides.
Season
The tree often bears
two crops a year in South India, the first in April and May, and the
second in August and September. In other areas, the main crop is in
January with scattered fruiting throughout the year.
Food Uses
The flesh must be
sliced from the stone, or the fruits must be cooked and then pressed
through a sieve to separate the stones. The sliced raw flesh can be
covered with sugar and let stand in the refrigerator for a day. The
sugar draws out the juice and modifies the acidity so that the flesh
and juice can be used as a sauce. If left longer, the flesh shrivels
and the juice can be strained off as a clear, pale-yellow sirup. In
Indonesia, the tart flesh is added to many dishes as a flavoring. The
juice is used in cold drinks in the Philippines. Bahamian cooks soak
the whole fruits in salty water overnight to reduce the acidity, then
rinse, boil once or twice, discarding the water, then boil with equal
amount of sugar until thick, and put up in sterilized jars without
removing seeds. The repeated processing results in considerable loss of
flavor. Fully ripe fruits do not really require this treatment. If
cooked long enough with plenty of sugar, the fruit and juice turn
ruby-red and yield a sprightly jelly. In Malaya, the ripe or unripe
Otaheite gooseberry is cooked and served as a relish, or made into a
thick sirup or sweet preserve. It is also combined with other fruits in
making chutney and jam because it helps these products to "set". Often,
the fruits are candied, or pickled in salt. In the Philippines, they
are used to make vinegar.
The young leaves are cooked as greens in India and Indonesia.
| Food
Value Per
100 g of Edible Portion* |
| Moisture
|
01.1 g |
| Protein |
0.155 g |
| Fat |
0.52 g |
| Fiber |
0.8 g |
| Ash |
0.51 g |
| Calcium |
5.4 mg |
| Phosphorus |
17.9 mg |
| Iron |
3.25 mg |
| Carotene |
0.019 mg |
| Thiamine |
0.925 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.013 mg | | Niacin | 0.929 mg | | Ascorbic Acid | 4.6 mg |
| *According
to analyses made in El Salvador |
|
Other Uses
Wood The wood is
light-brown, fine-grained, attractive, fairly hard, strong, tough,
durable if seasoned, but scarce, as the tree is seldom cut down.
Root bark The root bark has limited use in tanning in India.
Medicinal
Uses
In India, the fruits are taken as liver tonic, to enrich the blood. The
sirup is prescribed as a stomachic; and the seeds are cathartic. The
leaves, with added pepper, are poulticed on sciatica, lumbago or
rheumatism. A decoction of the leaves is given as a sudorific. Because
of the mucilaginous nature of the leaves, they are taken as a demulcent
in cases of gonorrhea.
The root is drastically purgative and
regarded as toxic in Malaya but is boiled and the steam inhaled to
relieve coughs and headache. The root infusion is taken in very small
doses to alleviate asthma. Externally, the root is used to treat
psoriasis of the soles of feet. The juice of the root bark, which
contains saponin, gallic acid, tannin and a crystalline substance which
may be lupeol, has been employed in criminal poisoning.
The acrid latex of various parts of the tree is emetic and purgative.
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