Dracontomelon Explained

Dracontomelon^[1] (Vietnamese: chi sấu^[2]) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, growing mostly in SE Asia and the Pacific islands. The fruit may be used in local cuisine, especially as souring agents.

Species

• Dracontomelon costatum Blume - Borneo, Sumatra
• Dracontomelon dao Merr. & Rolfe (many synonyms) - SE Asia to Solomon Islands
• Dracontomelon duperreanum Pierre (syn. D. sinense) - southern China & Vietnam
• Dracontomelon laoticum C.M.Evrard & Tardieu
• Dracontomelon lenticulatum Wilkinson^[3] - New Guinea
• Dracontomelon macrocarpum Li - China (Yunnan)
• Dracontomelon petelotii Tardieu - northern Vietnam^[4]
• Dracontomelon schmidii Tardieu - Vietnam
• Dracontomelon vitiense Engl. - Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Western Samoa (Upolu)

Reclassified species

The following are known synonyms:

• Dracontomelon cuspidatum Blume: syn. of Dacryodes rostrata (Bl.) H. J. Lam
• D. laoticum Evrard & Tardieu: syn. of Protium serratum (Wall. ex Colebr.) Engl.
• D. pilosum Seem.: syn. of Didymocheton alliaceus (Miq.) Mabb.^[5]
• D. papuanum Lauterb.: syn. of Protium macgregorii (F.M.Bailey) Leenh.
• D. multijugum Radlk. (formerly C.DC.): syn. of Toona ciliata var. multijuga (Kurz) Panigrahi & S.C.Mishra

Culinary Use

The most commonly eaten species is Dracontomelon duperreanum, which produces an edible fruit that is eaten in Cambodia, Vietnam^[2] and China. In Vietnamese, the plant is called cây sấu and is a common urban tree in Hanoi; the fruit is called quả sấu. The fruit is used in Vietnamese cuisine both as a souring agent and a candied treat similar to the Japanese umeboshi. The treat is popular among youths. In Chinese, the fruit is called 仁面.

Notes and References

1. Blume, Carl L. von (1850) In: Museum Botanicum Lugduno-Batavum sive stirpium Exoticarum, Novarum vel Minus Cognitarum ex Vivis aut Siccis Brevis Expositio et Descriptio (Blume, ed.), 1 [15]: 230-231.
2. Phạm Hoàng Hộ (2003) Cây Cỏ Việt Nam: an Illustrated Flora of Vietnam vol. II publ. Nhà Xuẩt Bản Trẻ, HCMC, VN.
3. http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2777584 The Plant list (20 January 2018)
4. https://www.gbif.org/species/3660211 GBIF: Dracontomelon petelotii
5. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:69539-1 Dracontomelon pilosum Seem.