Terminalia ferdinandiana
| Terminalia ferdinandiana | |
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| Species: | T. ferdinandiana
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| Terminalia ferdinandiana | |
Terminalia ferdinandiana, also called the gubinge, billygoat plum, Kakadu plum or murunga is a flowering plant in the family Combretaceae, native to Australia, widespread throughout the tropical woodlands from northwestern Australia to eastern Arnhem Land.
Its vitamin C concentration may be as high as 3200-5000mg/100g [1] (compared with 50mg/100g for oranges), possibly the highest known of any fruit.
Description
Terminalia ferdinandiana is a slender, small to medium-sized tree growing up to 32 m in height, with creamy-grey, flaky bark and deciduous pale green leaves. The flowers are small, creamy-white, perfumed, and borne along spikes in the leaf axils towards the ends of the branches. Flowering is from September to December. (Southern hemisphere spring/summer.)
The fruit is yellow-green, about 2 centimetres long and 1 centimetre in diameter, almond-sized with a short beak at the tip, and contain one large seed. They ripen from March onwards.
Uses
The fruit, now commonly known as Kakadu plum or billygoat plum, is used as bush tucker by the Australian Aborigines. The roundish, light green fruits are usually eaten raw, although they can also be made into a jam. The fruits gained increased popularity with Aborigines after the vitamin C results were widely reported.
The Kakadu plum is most notable for its high vitamin C content discovered by analysis carried out by the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand).[2]
Kakadu plum is more commonly sold as an ingredient for cosmetics but is slowly entering new markets as a "nutraceutical" in food supplements and fortified beverages. While the fruits have been trialled in plantation and some harvests from these irrigated fields is now supplying market demand, the vitamin C levels tend to fall with the less harsh growing conditions compared to wild stands of trees. Aboriginal communities in Australia's Top End benefit as they wild harvest the fruits to supply the growing demand. Unfortunately, this demand has also lead to illegal and premature harvesting by commercial operations seeking to exceed the quantities allowed by government licensing.[3]
References
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (September 2009) |
- ^ Bush Book Volume 2, Chapter 3: Food and Nutrition
- ^ Kakadu plum Fruitipedia by Dr. Chiranjit Parmar. Accessed July 2011
- ^ Bushtucker harvest sparks controversy :: ABC Kimberley WA
- Cherikoff, Vic, The Bushfood Handbook, ISBN 0-7316-6904-5.
- Low, Tim, Wild Food Plants of Australia, ISBN 0-207-14383-8.
- Pharm.J. 229: 505 (1982). Reported 2300-3150 mg ascorbic acid per 100g of edible fruit.