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Antidesma

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Antidesma
Hame (A. platyphyllum) - habit
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Subfamily: Antidesmatoideae
Tribe: Antidesmateae
Subtribe: Antidesmatinae
Genus: Antidesma
L. 1753 not Wall. 1832[1]
Type species
Antidesma alexiteria
Synonyms[2]
Bignay (A. bunius)
Hame (A. platyphyllum) - ripe berries
Hame (A. platyphyllum) - unripe fruit

Antidesma is a genus of tropical plant in the family Phyllanthaceae formally described by Linnaeus in 1753.[3][1] It is native to tropical Africa, S + E + SE Asia, Australia, and various oceanic islands. The greatest diversity occurs in Southeast Asia.[2][4][5][6]

Description

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Antidesma is a variable genus which may be short and shrubby or tall and erect, approaching 30 metres in height. It has large oval shaped leathery evergreen leaves up to about 20 centimetres long and seven wide. The flowers have a strong, somewhat unpleasant scent. The staminate flowers are arranged in small bunches and the pistillate flowers grow on long racemes which will become the long strands of fruit. The fruits are spherical and just under a centimeter wide, hanging singly or paired in long, heavy bunches. They are white when immature and gradually turn red, then black. When they are still white they have sour and astringent taste, sour taste when they are red and have sweet and sour taste when they are black.

The evergreen (sometimes deciduous) simple leaves have fine hairs and show no glands. They grow in an alternate arrangement, with entire, symmetrical blades. They are connected to the stem with a petiole (leaf stalk) and stipules (appendage at the base of a leaf stalk).

The flowers grow in a raceme, with 1 bract per flower, on a short pedicel (tiny stalk, supporting a single flower). Their color is light yellowish green, but may turn red when mature. These plants are dioecious, i.e. unisexual, with male and female flowers on separate plants. There are 3 to 8 fused sepals, but no petals. The male flowers have 2 to 8 stamens, but no pistils. The female flowers have 2 to 6 stigmas. They have a 1-locular ovary with 2 ovules.

The globose to ellipsoid fruits resemble a drupe. Their color varies from green to white, red and black. The fleshy and juicy fruits are edible with a sour to bitter sweet taste. Some individuals find Antidesma bunius berries to have a bitter taste. Those who detect this bitter taste (about 15% of subjects tested) cannot taste PTC, and similarly those who can taste PTC (about 68% of the subjects) cannot taste any bitterness in Antidesma bunius, while a minority of people cannot taste bitterness in either.[7][8]

Species

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There are 101 accepted species in the genus, as of May 2021. They are:[9]

The following taxa have been revised:

References

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  1. ^ a b c Tropicos, Antidesma L.
  2. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  3. ^ Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 1027 in Latin
  4. ^ Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  5. ^ Flora of China Vol. 11 Page 209 五月茶属 wu yue cha shu Antidesma Burman ex Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1027. 1753.
  6. ^ Hoffmann, P. 1999. The genus Antidesma (Euphorbiaceae) in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. Kew Bull. 54(4): 877–885
  7. ^ Henkin, R.I. and W.T. Gillis. (1977). Divergent taste responsiveness to fruit of the tree Antidesma bunius Nature:265:536 - 537.
  8. ^ "OMIM Entry - # 171200 - THIOUREA TASTING". www.omim.org. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Antidesma L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Antidesma obliquinervium Merr". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  11. ^ "Antidesma pentandrum (Blanco) Merr". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Antidesma subolivaceum Elmer". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
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