Dimocarpus
Dimocarpus is a genus of about 20 species of trees or shrubs known to science, constituting part of the flowering plant family Sapindaceae. They grow naturally in tropical south and Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia and Australasia, including Sri Lanka, India, the Philippines, southern China, Taiwan, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, East Timor, far north-eastern Queensland Australia.
| Dimocarpus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dimocarpus longan fruit | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Sapindaceae |
| Subfamily: | Sapindoideae |
| Genus: | Dimocarpus Lour.[1][2] |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
The fruit is edible, with the longan (D. longan) being grown commercially for fruit production.
The species are large evergreen trees growing to 25–40 m tall, with pinnate leaves. The flowers are individually inconspicuous, produced in large panicles. The fruit is an oval drupe 3–5 cm long containing a single seed surrounded by a translucent crisp, juicy layer of fruit pulp and a thin but hard orange or red skin.
Selected species
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimocarpus australianus | Cape York Peninsula, Australia | ||
| Dimocarpus dentatus | Malaysia, Sabah | ||
| Dimocarpus foveolatus | Philippines (Luzon, Panay, Samar) | ||
| Dimocarpus fumatus | S and SE Asia from Sri Lanka and India to E Malesia; D. fumatus subsp. indochinensis in China and Vietnam | ||
| Dimocarpus gardneri | Sri Lanka. | ||
 | Dimocarpus longan | Longan | China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand |
 | Dimocarpus longan | Alupag | Sarawak, Malaysia |
| Dimocarpus obtusus | southern Vietnam | ||
| Dimocarpus yunnanensis | China | ||
References
- Leenhouts, Pieter W. (1994). "Dimocarpus Lour.". In Adema, F.; Leenhouts, P. W.; van Welzen, P. C. (eds.). Sapindaceae. Flora Malesiana. Series I, Spermatophyta : Flowering Plants. Vol. 11. Leiden, The Netherlands: Rijksherbarium / Hortus Botanicus, Leiden University. pp. 511–519. ISBN 90-71236-21-8. Retrieved 5 Dec 2013.
- "Dimocarpus Lour". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2006-03-29. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
Further reading
- Bean, A. R. (March 2005). "The Taxonomic status of Dimocarpus leichhardtii (Benth.) S.T.Reynolds" (PDF). Australasian Systematic Botany Society Newsletter. Australasian Systematic Botany Society Inc. 122 (March): 7. ISSN 1034-1218. Retrieved 15 Dec 2013.
- "Dimocarpus Lour". Atlas of Living Australia.
Media related to Dimocarpus at Wikimedia Commons