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Muntingia calabura
Muntingiaceae FAMILY

Muntingia calabura

Muntingia calabura

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthFast

A plant of the lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 32°c, but can tolerate 10 - 36°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,400 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 2,400mm[1]. Probably tolerant of most soil types[PFAF]. The tree has the reputation of thriving with no care in poor soils and it does well in both acid and alkaline soils and even on old tin tailings[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 5 - 7[3, 1]. Established plants are drought resistant[2]. The plant requires a sheltered position, the wide-spread branches tend to break in high winds[1]. The tree is often cultivated as an ornamental and shade tree. With its ability to colonise disturbed ground, even on well-trodden land that other trees cannot become established, this tree has spread to many areas of the tropics[3, 4]. It has proved to be invasive in many regions[5]. Seedlings flower within two years due to their fast growth[2, 1]. Air-layered plants fruit straight away[2]. The plant can establish itself in trodden yards and along shop fronts where no other tree takes root, and it can also withstand the air pollution in city streets[1].

Propagation

Seed - The seed requires light to germinate[3]. Fresh seed germination is enhanced by passage through the digestive tract of bats and birds. The seed is well represented in the seed banks of forest soils and requires high temperature and light conditions for germination[2]. The seedlings do not tolerate shade[2]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood Air layering. Planters use fresh seeds mixed with the sweet juice of the fruit to sow directly into the field. To prepare seeds for planting, water is added repeatedly to the squeezed-out seeds and juice, and as the seeds sink to the bottom of the container, the water is poured off several times until the seeds are clean enough. They are then dried in the shade. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Muntingia+calabura>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]Under-Utilized Tropical Fruits of Thailand. RAP — Suranant Subhadrabandhu · F. A. O., The United Nations, Bangkok. · 2001 · http://www.fao.org/3/a-ab777e.pdf ↩︎A detailed report on 35 fruit species that could have potential for increased production in Thailand. The report can be downloadd as a PDF from the internet.
  3. [3]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  4. [4]Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany) No. 16 — The Forest Herbarium; Bangkok. · 1986 · ISBN 0495-3843 ↩︎A botanical journal, publishing papers on taxonomy (especially vascular plants), nomenclature, phylogeny, systematics, plant geography, and floristics; also morphology, palynology, cytotaxonomy, chemotaxonomy, anatomy and other relevant disciplines.
  5. [5]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  6. [6]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  7. [7]Flowers of India — http://www.flowersofindia.net/ ↩︎A wed site of native Indian plants, plus cultivated and naturalized species. It has good quality photos and terse details on more than 3,000 species and cultivars.
  8. [8]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  9. [9]Flowering Plants of Jamaica — Adams. C.D. · University of the West Indies; Jamaica. · 1972 ↩︎A terse treatment of the flowering plants of Jamaica, with a botanical description of each plant, notes on habitat etc.
  10. [10]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  11. [11]Medicinal Plants of Brazil — Mors W.B.; Rizzini C.T.; Pereira N.A. · Reference Publications; Michigan. · 2000 · ISBN 0-917256-42-5 ↩︎An extremely concise book, listing approximately 1,500 species and varieties of plants with their botanical name, common name in Brazil, regions in Brazil where the plant is found, a brief list of uses and any medically active compounds in the plant.
  12. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎