Morinda citrifolia

Morinda citrifolia is a tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Its native range extends across Southeast Asia and Australasia, and was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors. The species is now cultivated throughout the tropics and widely naturalized.

Description

Morinda citrifolia is a perennial plant that grows to approximately 3–8 m (9.8–26.2 ft) in height. It has large, simple, dark green, shiny and deeply veined leaves. The plant bears flowers and fruits all year round. The fruit is a multiple fruit that has a pungent odor when ripening, and is hence also known as cheese fruit or even vomit fruit.

Uses

Despite its strong smell and bitter taste, the fruit is nevertheless eaten as a famine food and, in some Pacific islands, even as a staple food, either raw or cooked. Southeast Asians and Australian Aborigines consume the fruit raw with salt or cook it with curry. The seeds are edible when roasted.

Medicinal uses

In folk remedies, Morinda citrifolia fruit has been used to treat a variety of health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. However, there is no scientific evidence to support these claims.

Cultivation

Morinda citrifolia is tolerant of saline soils, drought conditions, and secondary soils. It is therefore found in a wide variety of habitats: volcanic terrains, lava-strewn coasts, and clearings or limestone outcrops. It can grow up to 9 m tall, and has large, simple, dark green, shiny and deeply veined leaves.

See also

• List of culinary fruits
• List of plants of Cerrado vegetation of Brazil

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