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Nephelium cuspidatum
Sapindaceae FAMILY

Nephelium cuspidatum

Nephelium cuspidatum

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

A tree of hot, wet, tropical lowlands[1]. Species in this genus generally succeed in full sun to partial shade, growing best in a deep, frertile, well-drained soil[2]. Species in this genus are generally dioecious, though monoecious forms are sometimes found. Normally, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are reguired'451].

Propagation

Seed - it has a very short viability and so needs to be sown as soon as it is extracted from the fruit[3]. Wash the seed first to remove traces of the fruit[3]. Sow the seed in containers or in a nursery seedbed in light shade - germination should take place in 7 - 20 days[4]. Properly cared for, the seedlings grow rapidly[5]. They quickly produce a large root system and so need to be planted out into their permanent positions when still young[5]. Layering. Grafting. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Nephelium+cuspidatum>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory — Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. · U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service · 1987 ↩︎A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
  2. [2]Encyclopedia of Tropical Plants - Identification and Cultivation of over 3,000 Tropical Plants — Ahmed Fayaz · Firefly Books Ltd.; New Zealand · 2011 · ISBN 978-1-55407-489 ↩︎A good photograph and terse but detailed information for over 3,000 species of tropical plants. An excellent reference.
  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]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  5. [5]Tropical Food Gardens — Norrington. L. · Bloomings Books (Melbourne) · 2001 · ISBN 1-876473-41-x ↩︎Excellent little book giving some basic information on a range of plants.
  6. [6]Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak Vols 1 - 6 — Soepadmo E.; Saw L.G.; Chung R.C.K. (Editors) · Forest Research Institute Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur. · 2002 · ISBN 983-2181-27-5 ↩︎A flora of the woody plants of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo, often giving details of plant uses.