Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Buah Kundang / Mango Plum / Mini Mango / Ma Phrang (Bouea macrophylla Griff.)







Buah kundang is native to Malaysia. It is very rare fruit which also called mango plus or mini-sized mango. It could be reached in Perak and Perlis State in the country. Buah Kundang is a large tree, to 60 feet (18 m) tall, with a straight trunk and a dense crown. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate to elliptic, from 5-12 inches (13-30.5 cm) long and 2-3 inches (5-7.6 cm) wide, and resemble mango leaves. The small, cream colored flowers are grouped in axillary panicles. The fruits are ovoid, from 3-4 inches (7.6-10 cm) long, yellow to orange, with edible skin and juicy, sweet or sour, orange to red flesh surrounding a single seed. The seed has bright purple cotyledons and is edible. You are bidding the sweet variety of buah kundang.

How to grow
Mango plums should be planted in full sun and well drained soil. Soak the seed in the water overnight before you sow it. Sow the seed directly into the soil with 5 inches depth and cover the seed with soil. The germination need moist soil. It will germinate usually within 2-3 weeks. Need protection from frost during winter. The tree will be damaged for temperature below 32F. The tree loves heat and regular watering in summer so that it can produce high-quality fruit.

Uses
The sweet and juicy fruits are often eaten raw. The ripe fruits can also be produced into 'halwa' or jam or dried as snacks, while the young fruits can be prickled or added into 'rojak buah'. The young fruit can also act as a substitute of the Garcinia atroviridis or Tamarindus indica (asam) in preparing 'gulai' and 'sambal belacan' (sweet-sour sauce). The nutrition content of the fruit is Vitamin A, C and diatery fiber.

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