''Flacourtia inermis'', known commonly as lovi-lovi, or batoko plum, is a species of flowering plant native to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, but which has naturalized around the edges of

tropical Asia Tropical Asia refers to the entirety of the areas in Asia with a tropical climate. These areas are of geographic and economic importance due to their natural resources and biodiversity, which include many species of agricultural value. There are ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Common names in Indonesia include Tome-Tome (

Ternate Ternate is a city in the Indonesian province of North Maluku and an island in the Maluku Islands. It was the ''de facto'' provincial capital of North Maluku before Sofifi on the nearby coast of Halmahera became the capital in 2010. It is off the ...

North Maluku North Maluku ( id, Maluku Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Halmahera Sea to the east, the Molucca Sea to the west, and the Seram Sea to the sout ...

), Lovi-lovi, and lobi-lobi.

Description

It is a medium-sized spineless tree that may grow up to . The mature leaves are oblong and elliptic in shape and glossy on the upper side, with a toothed margin. They are about long and wide. The young leaves are bright orange to reddish in color, turning green as they mature. The fruits are produced in bunches and resemble cherries. The fruit is round and shiny, turning from light green to a deep red colour upon ripening. Each fruit measures in diameter. The flesh is crunchy but sour and acidic in taste. Its fruit is rich in an antimicrobial agent-

2,3-Dihydroxybenzoic acid 2,3-Dihydroxybenzoic acid is a natural phenol found in ''Phyllanthus acidus'' and in the aquatic fern ''Salvinia molesta''. It is also abundant in the fruits of '' Flacourtia inermis''. It is a dihydroxybenzoic acid, a type of organic compound. T ...

.Benny PJ, George Shibumon, Kuriakose Sunny, George Cincy (2010) "2, 3-Dihydroxybenzoic Acid: An Effective Antifungal Agent Isolated from Flacourtia inermis Fruit" International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research.2(3): 101-105Flacourtia inermis
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Related species

The family

Salicaceae The Salicaceae is the willow family of flowering plants. The traditional family (Salicaceae ''sensu stricto'') included the willows, poplar, aspen, and cottonwoods. Genetic studies summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) have greatly ...

includes well-known species such as kei apple (''Dovyalis caffra''), paniala (''F. jangomas''), and rukam (''F. rukam'').

Uses

The fruits are edible raw or cooked but usually not eaten fresh, instead being used in jams, preserves, and syrups.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q8563540 inermis