Specimen : Wild trees
Habitats : Open grasslands and creek bank thickets
Local name : Bignay
Trade name : Salamander tree
Botanical name : Antidesma bunius
Family : Phyllanthaceae
Height : 6-10 meters
Fruiting season : March to June
Traits : Dioecious; Drought tolerant; Evergreen; Prolific fruiter; Small tree; Tolerant of infertile soil; Tolerant of occasional waterlogging
Recommendations : Agroforestry; Backyards; Farms; Fruit collector’s; Home gardens; Living fence; Ornamental tree; Pioneer species for reforestation purpose; Plantations; Public spaces; Riparian management; Roadside tree; Urban greening; Wildcrafting; Windbreak
Used for : Fruits are eaten raw or processed into juice, jelly, preserves and wine; Immature green fruits used as substitute for tomatoes in flavoring Sinigang; Leafy shoots and young leaves are eaten as salad or cooked as vegetable; Fodder for livestocks; Bark yields fiber for rope; Timber for small and light constructions; Fuelwood and charcoal
Native range : India, Southeast Asia (including the Philippines) to Australia
National conservation status : Not threatened in the Philippines
Further readings :
Fruits of Warm Climates (J. Morton)http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/bignay_ars.html
Tropical & Subtropical Trees (M. Barwick) (488)