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''Sonneratia caseolaris'', commonly known as mangrove apple, is a species of plant in the family
Lythraceae Lythraceae is a family of flowering plants, including 32 genera, with about 620 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees. The larger genera include ''Cuphea'' (275 spp.), ''Lagerstroemia'' (56), ''Nesaea'' (50), ''Rotala'' (45), and ''Lythrum'' (35). ...
. The fruit is noted for its outward similarity to the persimmon fruit. This tree is a type of
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...
growing up to 20 m in height and with a trunk reaching a maximum diameter of 50 cm. It is present in tropical
tidal mud flats Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal f ...
from Africa to Indonesia, southwards down to northeast Australia and
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and northwards up to
Hainan Island Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slight ...
in China and the Philippines. The fruit of this tree is the subject of a legend of
Maldivian folklore Maldivian mythology or Maldivian folklore is the body of myths, tales and anecdotes belonging to the oral tradition of Maldivians. Even though some of the Maldivian myths were already mentioned briefly by British commissioner in Ceylon HCP Bell to ...
, ''Kulhlhavah Falhu Rani''. Kuhlhavah (ކުއްޅަވައް) is the Dhivehi name for the mangrove apple (Sonneratia caseolaris). The tree is associated with congregating fireflies throughout southeast Asia and is the food source of moth and other insects.


Uses

The leaves and the fruit are edible and appreciated as food in certain areas, such as
Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
.Mangrove Apple
In Sri Lanka, where the fruit is known as ''kirala gédi'' (කිරල ගෙඩි) in Sinhala, the pulp of the fruit is mixed with coconut milk extract and made into a milk shake.''Apé Lamā Lōkaya:1950'', Chapter 28 (Vijitha Yapa Publications) Many tourist resorts situated in the South of Sri Lanka where the trees grow abundantly alongside rivers, offer fresh fruit drinks made from the fruit. In the Maldives the fruits are used as a refreshing drink and also eaten with scraped coconut & sugar. The tree is also sometimes known as cork tree, because fishermen in some areas make fishing net floats by shaping the pneumatophores into small floats.


References


External links

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Mangrove flora: berembang (Sonneratia caseolaris)



Sonneratia caseolaris
caseolaris Flora of tropical Asia Flora of Queensland Edible fruits {{Myrtales-stub