Lempaung_Baccaurea_lanceolata

Lempaung
(Baccaurea lanceolata)

A fruit bearing tree of lempaung

Family: Phyllanthaceae

Synonyms: Adenocrepis lanceolatus; Baccaurea glabriflora, Baccaurea pyrrhodasya Hedycarpus
lanceolatus.

Other names: Lipasu, tegeilook

Lempaung is a fruit from South East Asia. It is known by several local names in the region. It is believed to be a native of Indonesia and Malaysia. Lempaung is a spectacular tree with large leaves with hundreds of fruits on trunk and sides.

Lempaung grows wild in Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and the Philippines.

Description:

An evergreen tree, 3-30 m high, bark grey to pale brown to yellowish to whitish to greenish.

Leaves large, ovate to obovate, 9.2-45 by 3.7-26.5 cm, petiole 16-184 mm long, glabrous, apically and slightly basally pulvinate, green to grey to brown-green when dry, raised glands usually present, margin (not) ciliate, usually hyaline.

Flowers of lempaung

Staminate inflorescences cauline, many clustered together, 3.5-18 cm long, 0.1-1 mm thick, glabrous to sparsely hairy, branching minute, many-flowered; staminate flowers 2-7 mm diam., yellow to pink to purple to cream-white; pistillate inflorescences cauline, few clustered together, 8-33(-50) cm long; pistillate flowers 3.5-10 mm diam., yellow to orange to purple to reddish cream to whitish; sepals 4 or 5, ovate to obovate, 1-6 by 0.9-3.2 mm, densely hairy outside, (sub)glabrous inside, caducous; petals 2-8, reduced.

Fruits globose to ellipsoid, 1-4-seeded berries, 24-54 by 16.5-41 by 16.5-41 mm when dry, 38 by 60 mm when fresh.

Seeds ellipsoid, laterally flattened, 12.2-26 by 8-15 by 4.8-9 mm; arillode white to grey, translucent; testa yellow to whitish.

Utilization:

Lempaung fruits taste sour and therefore cannot be consumed as such. These are eaten with sugar and salt. Fruits are also made into beverages.