Lansium domesticum

? Lansium domesticum
Langsat in the Philippines
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Sapindales Family: Meliaceae Genus: Lansium Species: L. domesticum
Binomial name
Lansium domesticum Corrêa

Fruit of the Lansium domesticum.

Lansium domesticum is a species of fruit-bearing tree belonging to the family Meliaceae.

Read about Lansium domesticum in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Lansium domesticum, Jack. Langsat. Lansa. Lanseh. Lanzon. Ayer Ayer. A medium-sized, rather slender tree, native of the Malayan Archipelago: lvs. with 3 or more pairs of elliptical to obovate, alternate, shortly petiolulate lfts., about 4-6 in. long and 2-3 in. broad: fr. globose or ovate, 1-1 1/2 in. long, calyx persistent, the sepals small, dry, brownish; seeds 1 or 2 developed, remainder usually aborted, of variable size, oval; testa membranous. —The langsat is frequently seen in the markets of Manila, Canton, Singapore, Penang, and other cities in that part of the world. The round to oval frs. are borne in clusters, and are not unlike loquats in general appearance, except that the color is a dull straw or brownish yellow, and the thick leathery skin, which does not adhere to the flesh, is pubescent on the surface. The flesh separates into 5 or less distinct segms. like those of an orange, and is white, translucent, very juicy, and of a subacid pungent flavor, sometimes tasting slightly of turpentine, especially if the thin membrane which surrounds the segms. gets into the mouth. It is eaten fresh or prepared in various ways. Ward wrote that the langsat "is by many reckoned the finest fruit in the peninsula. The month of July is the season at Malacca when it is had in the greatest perfection." Its season extends to Sept. A variety known as "duku" or "doekoe" is larger than the type, and considered much the better of the two. Both the duku and the langsat are commonly planted in gardens, and spring up along the roadsides. They have recently been planted in S. Fla. and the W. Indies. The duku is produced in smaller clusters than the langsat, and is spherical in form, varying from 1-2 in. diam. The skin is about 1/8 in. thick, leathery, dull brownish yellow in color, covered with a thick grayish pubescence. The flavor is very pleasant and refreshing, scarcely comparable to that of any temperate fr. The seeds retain their vitality for some time, if not allowed to become too dry, and germinate readily when planted in light, loamy soil. Seed prop, is the only method known to be employed in Malaya. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Anatomy, morphology and habit

Habit

Lansium domesticum is a medium-sized, single-trunked tree that usually grows from ten to fifteen meters tall.

The plant has pinnately compound leaves that grow to a length of around twenty to fifty centimeters long per leaf. Each fully-grown leaf has five to seven slightly-leathery, obovate leaflets that can reach a length of twenty centimeters each. A very prominent midrib bisects each dark green, glossy leaflet.

Flowers

L. domesticum flowers are bisexual, having both stamen and pistil structures in the same flower. The pale-yellow, fleshy flowers are found in inflorescences or around thirty, in most cases in a raceme usually around thirty centimeters long.

Fruit

Fruits are ovoid, roundish orbs around five centimeters in diameter, usually found in clusters of two to thirty fruits. Each round fruit is covered by yellowish, thick, leathery skin. Underneath the skin, the fruit is divided into five or six slices of translucent, juicy flesh. The flesh is slightly acidic in taste, although ripe specimens are sweeter. Green, seeds are present in around half of the segments, usually taking up a small portion of the segment although some seeds take up the entire segment's volume. In contrast with the sweet-sour flavor of the fruit's flesh, the seeds are extremely bitter.The sweet juicy flesh contains sucrose, saccharose, fructose and glucose.

Distribution

Lansium domesticum was originally native to the Malaysian peninsula.

Agriculturally, the tree is grown throughout the entire Southeast asian region, ranging from Southern India to the Philippines for its fruit. In the Philippines, the plant is grown mostly on the northern island of Luzon due to the species' narrow range of conditions favorable to its survival. Within mainland Asia, the tree is cultivated in Thailand, Vietnam and India, as well as its native Malaysia. Outside the region, it has also been successfully transplanted and introduced to Hawaii and Surinam.

Etymology and taxonomic history

Lansium domesticum is currently classified within the family Meliaceae.

It is known variously as langsat (Malay), lansones (Filipino), lansa, langseh, langsep, lanzon, lanzone, lansone, longkong (Thai), duku, kokosan (Indonesian), lòn bon and bòn bon (Vietnamese).

Importance to humans

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Bibliography

• Morton, Julia F. (1987). Fruits of warm climates. Miami, FL.: Florida Flair Books. pp. p. 201–203. ISBN 0961018410. http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/langsat.html. 

External links

• Template:Unimelb