Phylogeny of Melicoccus based on morphological traits, showing the placement of M. bijugatus.[5]
The genus Melicoccus was first described by Patrick Browne, an Irish physician and botanist, in 1756. This description was based on M. bijugatus trees which were cultivated in Puerto Rico. In 1760, Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin described the first species in Browne's genus, which he named M. bijugatus. In 1762 Linnaeus used a spelling variation of the name Melicocca bijuga. Over the next two centuries, Linnaeus' spelling variation was used in almost all publications. A proposal was made in 1994 to conserve Melicocca over Melicoccus, but the proposal was rejected, leading to a restoration of the original version of the name.[5]
In 1888 German taxonomist Ludwig Radlkofer placed Melicoccus in the tribe Melicocceae together with eight other genera. In his monograph on the Neotropical members of the tribe (Talisia and Melicoccus) Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez suggested that although Talisia and Melicoccus appeared to form a monophyletic group, the other (Old World) genera probably did not belong to the same lineage.[5]
The specific epithetbijugatus refers to the bijugate leaves,[5] leaves which consist of two pairs of leaflets.
DistributionEdit
A man selling bundles of Quenepas in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Melicoccus bijugatus is native to northern South America and naturalised in coastal and dry forest in Central America, the Caribbean and parts of the Old World tropics.[5] It is believed to have been introduced into the Caribbean in pre-Columbian times and is also found in India.[6] This fruit, known as quenepa in Puerto Rico, grows particularly abundantly in the municipality of Ponce, and there is a yearly celebration in that municipality known as Festival Nacional de la Quenepa (National Genip Fruit Festival).[7] The fruit ripens during the warm summer months.[8][9]
DescriptionEdit
Trees can reach heights of up to 25 m (82 ft) and come with alternate, compound leaves. The leaves have four elliptic leaflets which are 5–12.5 cm (2.0–4.9 in) long and 2.5–5 cm (0.98–1.97 in) wide. They are typically dioecious plants, however autogamous trees occur from time to time. Flowers have four petals and eight stamens and produce void, green drupes which are 2.5–4 cm (0.98–1.57 in) long and 2 cm (0.79 in) wide. Their pulp is orange, salmon or yellowish in color with a somewhat juicy and pasty texture.
FruitEdit
Fruit
The fruit is a round drupe, approximately 2–4 cm (0.79–1.57 in) in diameter, with a thin, brittle, green peel. The bulk of the fruit is made up of the one (or, rarely, two) whitish seeds, which are surrounded by an edible, orange, juicy, gelatinous pulp. There are efforts in Puerto Rico and Florida to produce cultivars with a more favourable flesh-to-seed ratio.
When ripe, the fruits have a bittersweet, wine-like flavour and have mild laxative properties. They are extremely rich in iron and phosphorus. The seed, being slippery, is a potential choking hazard.
Fruits mature in the dry season or summer.
UseEdit
The main use of the mamoncillo is its sweet fruits, which are consumed fresh or canned, and can also be used in the preparation of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. It can produce a strong yellow dye, although it is rarely used for this purpose.
The pit is also edible. When roasted, it resembles cashew nuts. The indigenous peoples of the Orinoco river consume them as a substitute for cassava, and in Nicaragua, they are ground and made into horchata as a cure for parasites.
The wood of the tree is pale, dense and moderately heavy with a fine grain, and is used for construction, carpentry, and fine cabinetmaking. However, it is not particularly durable, so its use is limited to indoors.
The leaves are used in various traditional medicinal preparations, and also used as pest deterrents.
The species is also commonly planted along roadsides as an ornamental tree.[5]
Quenepa in popular cultureEdit
The quenepa fruit is frequently referenced in popular culture in the Spanish Caribbean, including songs such as Suave by Puerto Rico rapper René Pérez (Residente).[10]
^IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; et al. (BGCI) (2020). "Melicoccus bijugatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T179306554A179306556. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T179306554A179306556.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^Bailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada. Macmillan, New York.
^Janick, Jules; Paull, Robert E., eds. (2008). The Encyclopedia of Fruit and Nuts. p. 808. ISBN9780851996387. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
^Duarte, Odilo; Paull, Robert E. (2015). Exotic Fruits and Nuts of the New World. ISBN9781780645056. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
^ abcdefAcevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro (2003). "Melicocceae (Sapindaceae): Melicoccus and Talisia". Flora Neotropica. 87: 1–178. JSTOR 4393917.
^Francis, John K. Melicoccus bijugatus Jacq. Quenepa. Sapindaceae. Soapberry family(PDF). USDA Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station, Institute of Tropical Forestry SO-ITF-SM; 48.
^Celebra Ponce a su mimada quenepa. Ana María Rolón Romero. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 26, Issue 1535. Page 26. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
^Entre mañas e infortunios para un dulce desenlace. Daileen Joan Rodríguez. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 35, Issue 1755. Page 11. 19–25 July 2017. Accessed 21 July 2017.
^Rinden homenaje a la quenepa en Mercado Urbano de Ponce: La quenepa, un popular fruto de la Región Sur, será la protagonista en esta edición. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. (Digital edition only) 21 July 2017. Accessed 21 July 2017.
^"SUAVE - Calle 13". Letras.com. Retrieved 2020-09-13. Lyrics: "Yo sé que tú quieres chuparme las quenepas"
External linksEdit
Fruits of Warm Climates: Mamoncillo
October 27, 2023
melicoccus, bijugatus, fruit, bearing, tree, soapberry, family, sapindaceae, native, naturalized, across, world, tropics, including, south, central, america, parts, caribbean, stone, bearing, fruits, edible, also, called, bajan, ackee, spanish, lime, mamoncill. Melicoccus bijugatus is a fruit bearing tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae native or naturalized across the New World tropics including South and Central America and parts of the Caribbean Its stone bearing fruits are edible It is also called Bajan ackee Spanish lime or mamoncillo among numerous other common names 2 3 4 Melicoccus bijugatusLeaves and fruitConservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade EudicotsClade RosidsOrder SapindalesFamily SapindaceaeGenus MelicoccusSpecies M bijugatusBinomial nameMelicoccus bijugatusJacq SynonymsMelicocca bijuga L Baj Melicocca carpopodea Juss Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Distribution 3 Description 3 1 Fruit 4 Use 5 Quenepa in popular culture 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksTaxonomy EditM espritosantensisM pedicellarisM oliviformisM antioquensisM novogranatensisM aymardiiM lepidopetalusM bijugatusM jimeneziiPhylogeny of Melicoccus based on morphological traits showing the placement of M bijugatus 5 The genus Melicoccus was first described by Patrick Browne an Irish physician and botanist in 1756 This description was based on M bijugatus trees which were cultivated in Puerto Rico In 1760 Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin described the first species in Browne s genus which he named M bijugatus In 1762 Linnaeus used a spelling variation of the name Melicocca bijuga Over the next two centuries Linnaeus spelling variation was used in almost all publications A proposal was made in 1994 to conserve Melicocca over Melicoccus but the proposal was rejected leading to a restoration of the original version of the name 5 In 1888 German taxonomist Ludwig Radlkofer placed Melicoccus in the tribe Melicocceae together with eight other genera In his monograph on the Neotropical members of the tribe Talisia and Melicoccus Pedro Acevedo Rodriguez suggested that although Talisia and Melicoccus appeared to form a monophyletic group the other Old World genera probably did not belong to the same lineage 5 The specific epithet bijugatus refers to the bijugate leaves 5 leaves which consist of two pairs of leaflets Distribution Edit nbsp A man selling bundles of Quenepas in Ponce Puerto RicoMelicoccus bijugatus is native to northern South America and naturalised in coastal and dry forest in Central America the Caribbean and parts of the Old World tropics 5 It is believed to have been introduced into the Caribbean in pre Columbian times and is also found in India 6 This fruit known as quenepa in Puerto Rico grows particularly abundantly in the municipality of Ponce and there is a yearly celebration in that municipality known as Festival Nacional de la Quenepa National Genip Fruit Festival 7 The fruit ripens during the warm summer months 8 9 Description EditTrees can reach heights of up to 25 m 82 ft and come with alternate compound leaves The leaves have four elliptic leaflets which are 5 12 5 cm 2 0 4 9 in long and 2 5 5 cm 0 98 1 97 in wide They are typically dioecious plants however autogamous trees occur from time to time Flowers have four petals and eight stamens and produce void green drupes which are 2 5 4 cm 0 98 1 57 in long and 2 cm 0 79 in wide Their pulp is orange salmon or yellowish in color with a somewhat juicy and pasty texture Fruit Edit nbsp FruitThe fruit is a round drupe approximately 2 4 cm 0 79 1 57 in in diameter with a thin brittle green peel The bulk of the fruit is made up of the one or rarely two whitish seeds which are surrounded by an edible orange juicy gelatinous pulp There are efforts in Puerto Rico and Florida to produce cultivars with a more favourable flesh to seed ratio When ripe the fruits have a bittersweet wine like flavour and have mild laxative properties They are extremely rich in iron and phosphorus The seed being slippery is a potential choking hazard Fruits mature in the dry season or summer Use EditThe main use of the mamoncillo is its sweet fruits which are consumed fresh or canned and can also be used in the preparation of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages It can produce a strong yellow dye although it is rarely used for this purpose The pit is also edible When roasted it resembles cashew nuts The indigenous peoples of the Orinoco river consume them as a substitute for cassava and in Nicaragua they are ground and made into horchata as a cure for parasites The wood of the tree is pale dense and moderately heavy with a fine grain and is used for construction carpentry and fine cabinetmaking However it is not particularly durable so its use is limited to indoors The leaves are used in various traditional medicinal preparations and also used as pest deterrents The species is also commonly planted along roadsides as an ornamental tree 5 Quenepa in popular culture EditThe quenepa fruit is frequently referenced in popular culture in the Spanish Caribbean including songs such as Suave by Puerto Rico rapper Rene Perez Residente 10 See also EditKorlan Longan Lychee RambutanReferences Edit IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group Botanic Gardens Conservation International et al BGCI 2020 Melicoccus bijugatus IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020 e T179306554A179306556 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2020 3 RLTS T179306554A179306556 en Retrieved 19 November 2021 Bailey L H Bailey E Z the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium 1976 Hortus third A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Macmillan New York Janick Jules Paull Robert E eds 2008 The Encyclopedia of Fruit and Nuts p 808 ISBN 9780851996387 Retrieved 13 July 2015 Duarte Odilo Paull Robert E 2015 Exotic Fruits and Nuts of the New World ISBN 9781780645056 Retrieved 13 July 2015 a b c d e f Acevedo Rodriguez Pedro 2003 Melicocceae Sapindaceae Melicoccus and Talisia Flora Neotropica 87 1 178 JSTOR 4393917 Francis John K Melicoccus bijugatus Jacq Quenepa Sapindaceae Soapberry family PDF USDA Forest Service Southern Forest Experiment Station Institute of Tropical Forestry SO ITF SM 48 Celebra Ponce a su mimada quenepa Ana Maria Rolon Romero La Perla del Sur Ponce Puerto Rico Year 26 Issue 1535 Page 26 12 August 2009 Retrieved 6 October 2013 Entre manas e infortunios para un dulce desenlace Daileen Joan Rodriguez La Perla del Sur Ponce Puerto Rico Year 35 Issue 1755 Page 11 19 25 July 2017 Accessed 21 July 2017 Rinden homenaje a la quenepa en Mercado Urbano de Ponce La quenepa un popular fruto de la Region Sur sera la protagonista en esta edicion La Perla del Sur Ponce Puerto Rico Digital edition only 21 July 2017 Accessed 21 July 2017 SUAVE Calle 13 Letras com Retrieved 2020 09 13 Lyrics Yo se que tu quieres chuparme las quenepas External links EditFruits of Warm Climates Mamoncillo Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Melicoccus bijugatus amp oldid 1176155772, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
