Ceylon gooseberry is a shrub or small, dioecious perennial tree growing to 4–6 m high with long, slender, arching, wide-spreading branches. The trunk and lower branches have sharp, 4 cm long spines. The fruit is an edible dark purple globose berry 2–3 cm diameter, very juicy with an acidic flavor, and containing several small seeds. The fruit is quite acidic, so it is usually not eaten fresh. The tree takes about 2-3 years to fruit. Its thin, bitter skin turns from somewhat orange to dark purple on ripening and is coated with short, grayish-green, velvety hairs, unpleasant in the mouth. The pulp is very juicy, extremely acid, and purple-red, enclosing 9 to 12 hairy seeds about 1/4 in (6 mm) long.
| Name | Ceylon Gooseberry |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Dovyalis hebecarpa |
| Native | Native to Sri Lanka and southern India. |
| Common/English Name | Ceylon Gooseberry, Ketembilla, Kitembilla, kei apple, Puerto Rican cranberries, and tropical apricots |
| Name in Other Languages | Brazil : Groselha-Do-Ceilao Chinese : Xi-Lin-Cu, His-Lu-Ts’u-Li Cuba : Aberia French : Groseillier De Ceylan, Ketembillier German : Kaffernp flaume India : Kocu Vetti ( Tamil ) Spanish : Quetembilla Sri Lanka : Ketembilla, Kitaembilla, Kitembilla, Kithaembilla ( Sinhala ), Kocu Vetti ( Tamil ) Maori (Cook Islands): venevene |
| Plant Growth Habit | Shrub or small, dioecious perennial tree |
| Growing Climate | Does well in wet or semi dry areas but requires adequate supply of water during fruit development. It does not tolerate waterlogged conditions. |
| Soil | Thrives on any soil including limestone. In Florida, the tree grows well on sand or limestone, but a rich, friable soil is best for maximum fruit production. |
| Plant Size | 4–6 m high |
| Branches | Long, slender, arching, wide-spreading branches. |
| Leaf | Alternate, simple, elliptic to ovate, 7–10 cm long, 2–3.5 cm wide, wavy-margined, gray-green, finely velvety, with pinkish, woolly petioles, and thin in texture |
| Flower | Flowers are inconspicuous, solitary or clustered, with no petals. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants, though some female plants are parthenogenetic.Greenish-yellow, apetalous, 1.25 cm across and axillary. |
| Fruit Shape & Size | Globose, berry up to 2.5 cm diameter, velvety pubescent, |
| Fruit Color | Green turning to orangey brown to maroon-purple |
| Fruit Skin | Thin skin coated with short, grayish-green, velvety hairs, unpleasant in the mouth |
| Flesh Color | Purple-red |
| Flavor/Aroma | Acidic flavor |
| Taste | Slightly sweeter, sour and astringent. |
| Seed | 9 to 12 hairy seeds about 1/4 in (6 mm) long |
| Major Nutrition | Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 98 mg (108.89%) Total dietary Fiber 14.6 g (38.42%) Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.4 mg (30.77%) Iron, Fe 1.2 mg (15.00%) Phosphorus, P 26 mg (3.71%) Protein 1.2 g (2.40%) Total Fat (lipid) 0.8 g(2.29%) Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 0.3 mg (1.88%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.02 mg (1.67%) Calcium, Ca 13 mg (1.30%) |
| Calories in (100 gm) | 63 K cal |