| Lansium domesticum | ||||||||||||||
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 Langsat in the Philippines | ||||||||||||||
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| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Lansium domesticum Corrêa | ||||||||||||||
Lansium domesticum is a species of fruit-bearing tree belonging to the family Meliaceae.
Anatomy, morphology and habit
Habit
Lansium domesticum is a medium-sized, single-trunked tree that usually grows from ten to fifteen meters tall.[1]
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.[1]
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.[1]
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.[1]
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.[1]
Ecology and life history
Evolutionary history
Etymology and taxonomic history
Lansium domesticum is currently classified within the family Meliaceae.[2]
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
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.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 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.
- ↑ Template:ITIS