Otaheite gooseberry
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| Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels. |
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Phyllanthus distichus Müll.Arg. |
The Otaheite gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus), also called Malay gooseberry, Tahitian gooseberry, country gooseberry, star gooseberry, West India gooseberry or simply gooseberry tree, is the only tree with edible fruit in the Phyllanthaceae family. Despite its name, the plant does not resemble the gooseberry, except for the acidity of its fruits. It is mostly cultivated for ornamentation.
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[edit] Description
The plant is a curious intermediary between shrubs and tree, reaching 2 to 9 m in height. The tree's dense and bushy crown is composed of thickish, tough main branches, at the end of which are clusters of deciduous, greenish, 15-to-30-cm long branchlets. The branchlets bear alternate leaves that are ovate or lanceolate in form, with short petioles and pointed ends. The leaves are 2-7.5 cm long and thin, they are green and smooth on the upperside and blue-green on the underside. In general, the Otaheite gooseberry very much looks like the bilimbi tree.
The flowers can be male, female or hermaphrodite. They are small and pinkish and appear in clusters in 5-to-12.5-cm long panicles. Flowers are formed at leafless parts of the main branches, at the upper part of the tree. The fruits are numerous, oblate, with 6 to 8 ribs, develop so densely that they actually form spectacular masses. They are pale yellow or white, waxy, crisp and juicy, and very sour. It has from 4 to 6 seeds.
[edit] Origin and distribution
This tropical or subtropical species is thought to originate in Madagascar, then carried to the East Indies. Now it is generally found in Southeast Asia countries, such as Southern Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia or Northern Malaya. It also occurs in Guam, Hawaii and several other Pacific islands. In 1793, the plant was introduces to Jamaica from Timor. From there, it progressively spread to the whole Caribbean region, as far as the Bahamas or Bermuda. It is now naturalized in Central and South America.
In the United States, the tree is occasionally found as a curiosity in Florida. For instance, it is resistant enough to fruit in Tampa.
[edit] Cultivation and culinary interest
The Otaheite gooseberry prefers moist soil. Although it usually grows from seeds, the tree can also be multiplied from budding, greenwood cuttings or air-layers. It bears 2 crops per year in Southern India: one in April-May and the other in August-September. Elsewhere, it is mainly harvested in January.
The juice can be used in beverage, or the fruit pickled in sugar. When cooked with plenty of sugar, the fruit turns ruby red and produces a kind of jelly. It can also be salted.
[edit] Miscellaneous
The Otaheite gooseberry is observed to be attacked by the Phyllanthus caterpillar, above all in Florida. This pest feeds on the bark and young leaves, causing total defoliation in just a few days if there is no sufficiently early application of pesticides.
