| Asam Kumbang Quick Facts |
| Name: |
Asam Kumbang |
| Scientific Name: |
Mangifera quadrifida |
| Colors |
Reddish-purple |
| Flesh colors |
Pale yellow to white |
Asam Kumbang is an evergreen tree having very dense crown and grows to the height of 32 meters but more likely to be 20 to 30 meters. The bole measures 150 cm in diameter usually branching from fairly low down. The tree is used as a source of fruit and wood in wild. Sometimes, it is cultivated for the fruits within its native range. This plant species belongs to the family Anarcardiaceae and endemic to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. The species is strictly a tropical species. It is found in hot, humid, wet undisturbed lowland forest mostly on inundated land or along riversides upto 1000 meters altitude and usually below 500 meters.
Plant description
This evergreen tree is medium sized upto 10 to 32 meters high with 25 to 30 cm bole, dense crown and mildly scaly bark. Leaves are simple, elliptic to elliptic lanceolate, ovateoblong, coriaceous, measures 6.5–30 by 3–9 cm and form in whorls. Petiole is 1 to 7 cm long and panicles are pyramidal, terminal and glabrous. Leaves (juvenile) are bronze and soft which turns to dark and glossy green with age. Flowers are fragrant, white to greenish-white. Sepals are elliptic to ovate-oblong, glabrous measuring 2 to 3.5 long. Petals are ovate to broadly elliptic about 3.5–4.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm. Anthers are oblong, 1 mm and ovary is subglobose about 1.5–2 mm. Flowers are then followed by a drupe which is subglobose to broadly ellipsoid, 8-10 cm by 5.5-7 cm, reddish-purple with pale brown lenticles. Flesh is pale yellow to white, acid sweet and fibrous covering the stone.
Culinary uses
- Fruits are consumed raw.
- In Sarawak, the green and ripe acid sweet fruit is consumed with salt, pickled or sambal belacan.
- Make sambal with fruit slices mixed with pounded chili,, dried salted anchovies, garlic, sugar, salt and belacan.
- Cook unripe Asam kumbang with fish.
References:
http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Mangifera+quadrifida
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangifera_quadrifida
https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Mangifera_quadrifida_(PROSEA)
http://matahariborneo.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-kumbang-fruit.html
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