Mombin yellow
Yellow mombin (lat. Spondias mombin) is a fruit tree representing the Sumacaceae family. This plant is often called Jamaican plum.
Description
Yellow mombin is a deciduous fruit tree with a luxurious spreading crown. And its height is between forty and forty-five meters. The length of the odd-pinnate and compound leaves reaches half a meter, with each leaf consisting of an odd number (usually from five to nineteen) of smaller leaves, which are ovate-lanceolate in shape and grow from five to fifteen centimeters in length.
The miniature white flowers of yellow mombin form into graceful panicles, the length of which can reach forty centimeters.
The fruits of this plant are ovoid or slightly oval drupes, reaching a width of up to two and a half centimeters and a length of up to four centimeters. Ripe fruits are covered with a fairly tough, but at the same time very thin skin, painted in golden-yellow tones that are pleasing to the eye.
The pulp of the fruit is slightly musky, surprisingly juicy and quite sour with a slight aftertaste of turpentine. Hidden inside the fruit are seeds, the length of which sometimes reaches two centimeters, and such seeds are painted in pleasant creamy tones. In addition, they are equipped with many longitudinal wrinkles.
After the trees fade, the fruits form on them quite quickly, but they take a long time to ripen. And as soon as they fall to the ground, their rapid germination begins, with new plants starting to produce crops within eight months!
Where does it grow
The yellow mombin comes from tropical South American and Central American forests, in particular from distant Peru, hot Brazil and colorful Southern Mexico. And now it is also cultivated in Indonesia, Bermuda, India and Malaysia.
Application
The fruits of this crop are consumed both fresh and processed. The juice is squeezed out of them, which is subsequently used to prepare delicious soft drinks, and they are also preserved with the addition of sugar. The pulp of these fruits is added to both ice cream and jelly. As for the local population, they also pickle these fruits or prepare canned food with the addition of chili. Guatemalans make wonderful cider from these fruits, and in the Amazon they make rich wines. And the yellow mombin is simply adored by the monkeys living in his homeland.
Yellow mombin is very rich in various vitamins, carotene, beneficial microelements and sugars. And the energy value of these fruits largely depends on the growing conditions and ranges from 21 to 48 kcal for every 100 g of product.
The juice of these fruits is an excellent diuretic and highly effective antipyretic.
The bark can be used as a laxative, and a decoction prepared from it is an excellent antitussive. And the dried powder made from the bark does an excellent job as a powder on purulent wounds.
An infusion of the leaves of the plant can be used for coughs, and also as a laxative for fever accompanied by constipation. It will also serve well against sexually transmitted diseases, diarrhea and various eye ailments.
Contraindications
When deciding to eat yellow mombin, it is important to observe moderation — overeating can lead to quite serious digestive upset, on the eve of which there is a constant urge to vomit. Allergic reactions resulting from individual intolerance cannot be excluded.
