Phyllanthus emblica commonly known as gooseberry is a small to medium-sized, low, deciduous tree, 5–25 m tall. It is also known as “fayberries” because of the ancient belief that fairies used bushes of gooseberry to hide from danger. The bush begins fruiting 2-3 years after plantation. Berries come in many shapes, colors, and taste. They can be round, oval, pear-shaped or elongated, green, white, yellow, purple, red-brown or black color, sweet and tart. Their outer surface can be smooth or fuzzy (hairy) with conspicuous veins. Inside, a berry may hold 15-30 tiny edible seeds. In general, the berries measure 1-2 cm in width and weigh about 4 g to 10 g. One gooseberry bush produces 8 to 10 pounds of fruit per season. Gooseberry can produce fruit and survive at least 20 years in the wild.
| Name | Gooseberry |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Phyllanthus emblica |
| Native | Native to Nepal, India and Sri Lanka, throughout South-East Asia to southern China. |
| Common/English Name | Amla, Emblic, Indian Gooseberry, Malacca Tree, Myrobalan. |
| Name in Other Languages | Nepalese : Amalaa Vietnamese : Chùm Ruôt Nui Burmese : Mai Kham India : Amluki ( Assam ) Russian : Fillantus Emblika Chinese : An Mo Le Philippines : Nelli German : Amalanbaum Thailand : Ma-Khaam Pom Indonesia : Kemlaka ( Java ) Malaysia : Kik ( Semang ) Danish : Grå Myrobalan; Persian : Amla French : Emblique Officinale Spanish : Mirobalano Khmer : Kan Tot Dutch : Kembaka Mylobalanen Baum Sri Lanka : Ambula Arabic : Amlag Tibetan : Kyou-rhoo-rah Italian: Uva Spina Laos : Mak Kham Pom Flemish: Stekbes |
| Plant Growth Habit | Fast growing, small to medium-sized, low, deciduous tree |
| Growing Climate | Grows in tropical and subtropical regions from near sea-level. It grows equally well in arid and wet or humid conditions. It is light demanding plant, common in grassy areas, brush and village groves. |
| Soil | The species is not fastidious of soil type and grows on a wide range of soil types ranging from sandy loam to clay, light or heavy, and slightly acidic to slightly alkaline. It flourishes in deep, fertile soil. It is moderately drought resistant but some cultivars may be sensitive to drought and frost. It is fi re-resistant and is one of the first trees to recover after a fire. |
| Plant Size | 5–25 m tall |
| Bark | Thin, smooth, grey, peeling in patches, with numerous knobs, |
| Trunk | Trunk often crooked and gnarled, up to 35 cm in diameter; |
| Branchlets | Branchlets are glabrous or finely pubescent, 10–20 cm long, usually deciduous |
| Leaf | Biseriate alternate, thin, simple, light green, sub sessile, closely-set leaves, resembling pinnate leaves with narrowly oblong, 5–25 mm × 1–5 mm lamina, rounded and more or less oblique base, acute or obtuse and mucronate apex and pinnati-nerved |
| Flower | Greenish-yellow, fascicled in axils of leaves or fallen leaves, unisexual. The male flowers are numerous at base of young twigs, the female flowers Solitary and higher up the twig. Male flowers are shortly pedicellate, with six pale green perianth lobes 1.5–2.5 mm long and three entirely connate stamens, six disk glands alternating with the perianth lobes; female flowers sessile, with six somewhat larger perianth lobes, a cup-like six-angular disk, and a superior three celled, glabrous ovary crowned by three styles, connate for more than half of their length and deeply bifid at apex. |
| Fruit Shape & Size | Depressed globose drupe 2–4 cm in diameter, with six vertical striations |
| Fruit weight | About 4 g to 10 g. |
| Fruit Color | Pale green changing to yellow when mature |
| Fruit Skin | Thin, translucent |
| Taste | Sweet, slightly tart taste |
| Seed | Two trigonous, 4–5 mm × 2–3 mm seeds. |
| Varieties/Types |
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| Major Nutrition | Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 41.6 mg (46.22%) Total dietary Fiber 6.4 g (16.84%) Carbohydrate 15.27 g (11.75%) Copper, Cu 0.105 mg (11.67%) Manganese, Mn 0.216 mg (9.39%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.12 mg (9.23%) Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) 0.429 mg (8.58%) Potassium, K 297 mg (6.32%) Iron, Fe 0.46 mg (5.75%) Phosphorus, P 40 mg (5.71%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1 cup (150 gm) | 66 K cal |