Flacourtia indica

For other uses, see Flacourtia indica (disambiguation).

Ramontchi
File:Ramontchi Real.jpeg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Dicotyledons
(unranked):	Magnoliophyta
Order:	Violales
Family:	Flacourtiaceae
Genus:	Flacourtia Comm. ex L'Hér
Binomial name
Flacourtia Ramontchi L.

Sketch of the Ramontchi plant exterior and interior.

Flacourtia ramontchi or commonly known as the governor’s plum or the Indian plum is a fruit that is native to India.

Description

It is typically a weedy and invasive species in other countries and can be found mostly in Florida in North America. It is of the genus Flacourtia which is in honor of the former governor of Madagascar, Etienne de Flacourt.

The Ramontchi is a fruit of a dicotyledonous tree which is said to be invasive and gives rise to spiny weeds, roots, and stems that are all over the plant except for the fruit. The spines also surround the tree trunk itself making it a difficult plant to deal with during fruit harvesting. The tree itself can grow as tall as approximately 50 feet. The branches characteristically droop after the apical meristem grows out a significant amount. The leaves are characteristically ovate in shape. In its shrub form, it can grow as tall as 25 feet however with the same thorny characteristics as its tree form. The growth of the seedling to either of its terminal forms depends on the climate, the soil, and water availability.

The flowering parts of the plant itself grow separately from the fruiting plants due to the different plant genders. In order to obtain fruits on the female plant, the male plants have to grow around the female plants and pollinate them. Once pollination occurs, the Ramontchi fruits grow from the pollinated female plants. The flowers themselves are really small and produce fruit which are also small in size.

Relatives

Ramontchi is one of the lesser known species of the Flacourtiaceae family. Its a relative of the more popular fruit Dovyalis caffra otherwise known as the kei apple and is a minor species along with its siblings, the louvi (F. inermis), paniala (F. jangomas), and rukam (F. rukam). The Ramontchi fruit has been classified before with its more famous relative the Batoko Plum (F. indica) however Indian botonists classify it differently from the Ramontchi fruit.

Alternative Names

The Ramontchi also goes by a lot of common names. Ramontchi itself isn't the primary name but is the one common in nomenclature with the binomial name and the indicating name. The names vary per region of use. As mentioned before, the main name is the Governor's Plum. It can also go by Indian plum or Madagascar plum. It is quite common in other languages. Examples of such are kerkup kechil or lesser kerkup in Malaya; ta-khop-pa in Thai; bitongol, bolong, palutan in Tagalog; kokowi in various African languages; prune de Madagascar, grosse prune de café in French; echte Flacourtie in German; ciruela governadora in Spanish; uguressa in Sri Lanka; and na-yu-wai in Burmese.

Uses

The Ramontchi fruit itself is about an inch thick and is a variant of red to purple depending on whether or not it has ripened. It is very fleshy and has about 6 to 10 seeds in its core making it a type of pome. It has several fused carpels which hold the seeds in layers. The fruit body itself is home to parasitic fruit flies but it is used as a source of fruit though not as popular as its relative the kei apple. The inside of the fruit is yellow to white in color and though it is primarily sweet, the flavor can be slightly acidic. It can be eaten raw or used as a type of preservative, jelly, or jam. It isn’t the most reputed fruit of its family. It’s mostly water based but has a good amount of sugar in it. Aside from the fruit component of the plant, the leaves and brush play a role in usefulness to humans.

The leaves and roots are primarily used in herbal medicine as anti-venom components against snake bites. The bark is also believed to be a component for other herbal medicines against arthritis. The most common use for all parts of the plant are for coughs, throat infections resulting from pneumonia, and any other bacterial infections to the throat. It also has various treatment uses for diarrhea and other excretion illnesses. The entire tree itself is usually used for barrier purposes in places such as Puerto Rico where it may or may not be considered invasive.

Location

For all purposes of seed dispersal, the Ramontchi relies mostly on various birds carrying away its seeds to distant areas. The plant whether it be through export or through birds carrying seeds and dropping them off, has made its way to other countries such as Puerto Rico, the United States, Honduras, Venezuela, Guatemala, and Trinidad. The Ramontchi mainly grows natively in India, Africa, Madagascar, and the Philippines.

The Ramontchi plant can't mostly deal with any type of soil as long as it isn’t extreme dryness or extreme cold. Male plants and female plants are usually in close proportion to each other in terms of number. If male plants outnumber the female plants, it may be difficult to propagate a new generation of seeds because of competition leading to lower plant yields.

References

• Morton, Julia F.; Fruits of Warm Climates; Julia F. Morton; Miami, FL, 1987.

• Popenoe, Wilson; Excluding The Banana, Coconut, Pineapple, Citrus Fruits, Olive And Fig (1920); The Macmillan Company, 1920.

External Links

• The Ramontchi
• PLANTS Profile
• Other Exotic Fruits