Mombin purple
Purple mombin (lat. Spondias purpurea) is a fruit tree belonging to the Sumacaceae family. This plant also has a second name — Mexican plum.
This name is due to the similarity of its fruits to the well-known plum (not only in structure, but also in taste).
Description
Mombin purple is a very attractive, low-branched, deciduous small tree, reaching a height of seven and a half to fifteen meters.
The length of the odd-pinnate compound leaves of this plant ranges from twelve to twenty-five centimeters. All leaves consist of five to nineteen smaller leaves (from two to four centimeters long), which can have either a lanceolate or ovoid shape and are endowed with very short petioles. Young leaves are characterized by a reddish color, and after some time they turn dark green.
The small flowers of the attractive mombin are painted in purple or reddish tones and are collected in fancy panicles reaching four centimeters in length.
The fruits of this crop are ovoid or oval, slightly elongated drupes, the length of which can vary from two and a half to five centimeters. The fruits can be colored either red or orange, or yellow or purple. On top, each fruit is covered with a shiny and thin peel, and inside they contain sour and incredibly juicy fibrous yellowish pulp, which has a rather rich aroma. The yellowish-brownish hard seeds of the fruit are equipped with characteristic longitudinal grooves.
It is noteworthy that mombin is able to bear fruit even before the spring leaves begin to bloom. This crop usually bears fruit from May to July.
Where does it grow
Mombin purple is found with equal frequency both in culture and in the wild on the islands of the Caribbean, as well as in the territory from Peru and Brazil to Central Mexico. In addition, this crop is grown in the picturesque Philippines, distant Nigeria and Venezuela.
Application
The fruits of this plant are excellent for eating raw and for canning or pickling. And if you stew mombin with sugar, you get an incredibly tasty dessert. And the jam made from these fruits is excellent, and compotes made from them are not only tasty, but also very healthy. By the way, in the Philippines they make a rather unique sour stew based on these fruits.
Young mombin leaves can also be eaten fresh. Incidentally, these sour leaves make an excellent cabbage soup, which even the most discerning gourmets enjoy. They are also used as a seasoning for a wide variety of fish and meat dishes and added to various salads.
A decoction of the bark of this plant is an excellent remedy for flatulence and for quickly relieving diarrhea.
Contraindications
Eating mombin fruits can sometimes cause allergic reactions, as well as severe individual intolerance.
Cultivation
Purple mombin is extremely undemanding in soil. This plant has long been valued in landscaping because cuttings planted in the ground adapt quite quickly, take root well, and grow easily even without any special care.
