TANJONG TREE

MIMUSOPS ELENGI

Glasgow Rd

Mimusops Elengi in Sinhalese Munamal, in English Bulletwood tree, in Malay Tanjong, in Marathi Bakul.

Singapore Locations: Botanic Gardens, Singapore General Hospital, Clementi Cresent, Dover Rise, Glasgow Rd, Kesington Park Rd, Jalan Senyum,

NParks FloraWeb:

Family: Sapotaceae

Common Name: Bunga Tanjung, Tanjong, Spanish Cherry, Medlar, Tanjong Tree, Bullet Wood, Bunga Mengkula, Mengkulah, Mengkulang, Red Coondoo

Origin: Indochina, Malaya Peninsula

Leaf Colour: Green

Flower Colour: White

Description

Form

It is a medium to big tree growing on tropical forests in South Asia, South-east Asia & Northern Australia. Height is 10 – 20 m tall & 1 m circumference.

In S’pore, it is a small, bushy tree 10 – 12 m height, with a dense, round crown. The young trees are cone shaped.

Kovan Rd

Leaves

Leaves are simple, thick, glossy, dark green, oval shaped, with wavy margins, 5-14 cm long and 2.5-6 cm wide.

FlowersFlowers are small, creamy-white, hairy, star-shaped, very fragrant, and arranged in small clusters.

Fruits

The edible fruit is softly hairy becoming smooth, ovoid, pointed, green to bright red-orange when ripe, about size of olives 2 – 3 cm long. They are fleshy and edible, but have a rather unpleasant astringent taste. However, birds and squirrels enjoy them

Each fruit has a flat, shiny, black-brown seed

Trunk

Trunk is dark brownish black or grayish black thick bark, with slightly rough fissured bark i.e. striations & few cracks on the surface.

FLOWERING TIMINGS

J F M A M J J A S O N DLeavesFlowers X XFruits X X X X X

Uses

It is frequently planted in narrow verges because of its compact size. The fragrant flowers are used for adornment, beautifully scented garlands and perfumes.

Ayurvedic uses

The bark, flowers, fruits and seeds are astringent, cooling, anthelmintic, tonic, and febrifuge. It is mainly used in dental ailments like bleeding gum's, pyorrhea, dental caries and loose teeth.

Extract of flowers used against heart diseases, leucorrhoea, menorrhagia and act as antiduretic in polyuria and antitoxin. The snuff made from the dried and powdered flowers used in a disease called Ahwa in which strong fever, headache and pain in the neck, shoulders and other parts of the body occurs.

Ripened fruits facilitates in burning urination. The ripe fruit pounded and mixed with water is given to promote delivery in childbirth. Powder of dried flowers is a brain tonic and useful as a snuff to relieve cephalalgia. Decoration of bark is used to wash the wounds.

Mimusops elengi wood is luxurious wood. It is extremely hard, strong, tough with a rich, deep red colour. The timber heart wood is sharply defined from sapwood. Works easily & takes beautiful polish. Weight is 63 lbs per cubic foot.

Growing from Seeds

1. Collect fruits from below the tree

2. Clean away all flesh from seeds

3. Soak in water for 3 - 5 days. Change water daily

4. Plant when seeds crack and root tips sprouts

5. Fill bottom of pot with LECA

6. Fill with potting mix

7. Arrange seeds on the top

8. Cover with thin layer of potting mix

9. Water with sprayer daily. Seed germinate after 4 – 5 weeks

10 Remove seed pods when loosen

11. Add diluted liquid fertilizer once a month

12. Can last for 2 to 3 years