PERUPOK
(Lepisanthes alata)

 

A tree of perupok

Family: Sapindaceae

Synonyms: Otolepis alata

Other names: Blimbing cina

Perupok is a fruit from South East Asia.  It seems to have been originated  somewhere in Java. Borneo or the Philippines.  It is occasionally cultivated but still this is not a very common fruit and can be categorized under rarefruits.  
 

Fruits of perupok

Description: 

A small tree upto 10 m tall, monoecious.

            Leaves compound, leaflets 8-12, purple in the beginning but green at maturity.
 

Leaves of a perupok tree

            Inflorescences upto 50 cm long, flowers purple.

            Fruit a globose berry, arranged closely and attractively in big bunches formed by clusters containing about 20 fruits per cluster,  2.5 cm in diameter, deep red to purple, shiny, with a pointed tip.
 

Perupok flowers

            Seeds 1-4, endocarp often separating and forming an arillode.

Utilization:

Fruits are edible.  These taste fairly sweet. These are also offered for sale at some local markets.

Perupok is a quite attractive tree with pigmented young foliage long inflorescences.  So it is also a good selection for planting as an ornamental tree.

This fruit does not have a specific fruiting season and keeps on flowering and fruiting through out the year.

Cultivation:

New tree of perupok can be raised from seed.  The seeds are transferred to their permanent location when one year old.

            Though a perupok tree bears edible fruits which are also offered for sale, yet it planted only as an ornamental tree.  The fruits are just a byproduct.