Muntingia calabura, the sole species in the genus Muntingia, is a flowering plant native to southern Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and western South America south to Peru and Bolivia. Common names include Jamaican cherry,
Panama berry, Singapore cherry, Bajelly tree, Strawberry tree; (Spanish) bolaina, yamanaza, cacaniqua, capulín blanco, nigua, niguito, memizo or memiso; (Indonesia) kersen, talok; (Vietnamese); and (Filipino) alatris, aratilis, manzanitas and sarisa.
leaves and fruitsIt is a small tree 7–12 metres tall with tiered and slightly drooping branches. It has serrated leaves 2.5–15 cm long and 1–6.5 cm wide. The flowers are small, white and slightly malodorous. It gives rise to 1–1.5 cm light red fruit. The fruit is edible, sweet and juicy, and contains a large number of tiny yellow seeds.
UsesIn Mexico, the fruits are eaten and sold in markets. The fruits can be processed into jams and the leaves can be used for making tea. In Brazil, the trees are planted along river banks. The fruits falling from the tree attract fish that are then caught. In the Philippines and Indonesia the fruits are usually eaten mostly by children although they are not sold in the markets.
In traditional medicine, its
flowers can be used as an antiseptic and to treat abdominal cramps.
The timber from what is also known as the Jamaican cherry, is reddish-brown. It is compact, durable and lightweight and can be used for carpentry. It could also be used as firewood. The bark can be used to produce ropes and fiber for bark skirts. Due to its ability to grow in poor soil and its effective propagation by means of bats and birds, it could be used for reforestation projects.
In India, it is used in urban gardens for its ability to grow fast and attractiveness to small fruit eating birds such as the flowerpeckers. It is also commonly planted in parking lots.
As long as they clean all the good eaten with the fruit Cherries compounds could be useful for the body. Cherry Cherries Fruit is not often used as a cake decorator.
Research shows the fruit of this Cherries have many important compounds that are useful to the body.
In every 100 grams of
cherry fruit contains:
Water (77.8 g)
Protein (.324 g)
Fat (1.56 g)
Fiber (4.6 g)
Calcium (124.6 mg)
Phosphorus (84.0 mg)
Iron (1.18 mg)
Carotene (0.019 mg)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) (0.065 mg)
Riboflavin (0.037 mg)
Niacin (0.554 mg) Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid or antioxidants) (80.5 mg)
High nutrient content of cherry fruit, making this sweet little fruit has
many health benefits, among others:
- Antiseptic or antibacterial
- Antispasmodik (spasms of the gastrointestinal tract which may be due to diarrhea, gastritis)
- Relieve headaches
- Relieve the symptoms of flu and colds early Anti-diabetes
- Anti-inflammatory (anti-inflammatory)
Besides Indonesia, cherry is also much cultivated in warm regions around the world, like India, Southeast Asia, Malaya, Indonesia, the Philippines and in many other places.
Cherry fruit in different countries have their local designation, such as capolin, palman, ladies (Mexico), capulin blanco (Guatemala and Costa Rica), capulin de Comer (El Salvador), or ta JOC takop farang farang (Thailand), kakhop (Cambodia), cay ca Trung (Vietnam), cherry fruit, kerukup Siam (Malaya), Jamaican cherry, Panama berry, cherry Singapore (English), Chinese or Japanese cherry cherry (India).
Read More about Panama berry
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