CHERAPU

(Garcinia praniana)

A portion of cherapu tree

Family: Guttiferae

English name: Button mangosteen

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Cherapu is believed to be a native of Malaysia.  It grows from North to South of Malaya.  This fruit is also grown as a back yard tree mostly in villages in South East Asia for its fruits. 

Description:

A small to medium tree 25-40ft tall.

Flowers are attractive red to orange in colour, male and female flowers borne on separate trees creating a need for pollination for successful fruiting.

Fruits small, 3-5 cm wide, brilliant orange in colour, rind thin, pulp very tasty having an unusual sweet-sour flavor.

Utilization:

The fruits are eaten raw.  These are quite tasty.  The fruits are rarely marketed.

A cherapu fruit ready to be harvested

Cultivation:

New plants are raised from seed.  The trees are slow growing but quite long lived. 

            Cherapu is also grown as a container plant because of its attractive coloured flowers and fruits.  In fact it considered to be an ideal plant for container growing. ,The plants start bearing when 2-3 feet tall.