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Spondias dulcis
Anacardiaceae FAMILY

Spondias dulcis

Spondias dulcis

Edibility
4/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

Care should be taken when eating the fruit since the seeds have very sharp spines[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthFast

The plant grows best in the subhumid and frost-free tropics, where it is found from sea level up to 700 metres[2, 3]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 27°c, but can tolerate 12 - 35°c[4]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -3°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c[4]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 900 - 1,800mm, but tolerates 600 - 2,200mm[4]. Trees need to be grown in a sunny position, very little fruit is produced when they are in the shade[3]. Plants are not too fussy over soil, not needing very fertile conditions. However, very poor soil, or shallow land, is unsuitable[2]. It succeeds on limestone derived soils as well as on acid sands, but the soil should be well drained[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 8[4]. The branches are quite brittle, so a sheltered position is best[3]. Established plants are drought tolerant, though they may briefly lose their leaves when under stress[3]. Plants can bear fruit in only 4 years from seed, or 2 - 3 years from cuttings[3, 5]. In areas where there is no prolonged dry season, the plant can flower and fruit all year round, though in pronounced monsoonal areas it will usually flower only in the dry season[3].

Propagation

Seed - germinates within one month[3]. Quite large cuttings[2]. It is reported that large stumps are stuck in the ground to obtain live fence posts[3]. Air layers root easily[3]. Grafting or shield budding on Spondias rootstocks is also possible, however seedling trees are more vigorous than budded or grafted trees[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Spondias+dulcis>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]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.
  2. [2]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.
  3. [3]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.
  4. [4]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.
  5. [5]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.
  6. [6]Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands — Little E.L.; Wadsworth F.H. · USDA, Forest Service; Washington. · 1964 ↩︎Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 250 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
  7. [7]Medicinal Plants in the South Pacific — WHO Regional Publications, Manilla. · 1998 · ISBN 92-9061-118-9 ↩︎Excellent guide to 102 medicinal herbs of the Pacific Islands, with photographs of each plant and details of their constituents, biological activities and traditional uses. A description of each plant, together with habitat and distribution is given.
  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]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region