Skip to main content

Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon)

Melinjo or belinjo or tangkil (Gnetum gnemon) is a species of gymnosperms in Gnetaceae, dioecious, tree-shaped, living wild but also widely planted in the yard as a shade or barrier where seeds, seed coat and young leaves are processed into food.

G. gnemon is a tree and has a straight trunk, this is different from other Gnetum which is usually a liana. Annual plants with open seeds, do not produce true flowers and fruit. Fake fruit is basically a seed wrapped in a layer of aryl fleshy. Single leaf oval and blunt tip.

Dlium Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon) #Dlium @Dlium

Melinjo live for more than 100 years, 25 m tall and produce 80-100 kg of seeds per harvest. They adapt to a wide temperature range and are very easy to find in various areas except the coast. Grows in forests, plantations and home gardens. Plants are propagated by generative and vegetative methods.

Belinjo can be found in arid, tropical regions and does not require highly nutritious soils or special climates. Grow on clay, sandy and calcareous soil at an altitude of 0-1,200 m, but cannot withstand waterlogged, acidic and saline soils. Trees grow well on open land, lots of sun and tree spacing 6-8 m.

Wood can be used as a material for boards and simple household appliances. Young leaves, seed shoots and seed coat are used as vegetable ingredients for sayur asem or soups. The seeds are forged into raw materials for emping or chips and seed coat for shredded.

G. gnemon is an ancient plant that is evolutionarily close to Ginkgo biloba. Seeds produce antioxidant compounds by high protein concentrations (9-10 percent). The main protein is 30 kilos Dalton which is very effective for destroying free radicals. Antioxidant activity is equivalent to butylated hydroxytolune.





Melinjo is also a natural antimicrobial in which protein is used as a natural preservative of food and medicine for diseases caused by bacteria. Peptides isolated from seeds have active potential to inhibit certain types of positive and negative gram bacteria.

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Gnetophyta
Class: Gnetopsida
Order: Gnetales
Family: Gnetaceae
Genus: Gnetum
Species: Gnetum gnemon
Variety: Gnetum gnemon var. brunonianum, Gnetum gnemon var. gnemon, Gnetum gnemon var. gracile, Gnetum gnemon var. griffithii, Gnetum gnemon var. tenerum

Popular Posts

Purhepecha oak (Quercus purhepecha), new species of shrub oak endemic to the state of Michoacán, Mexico

NEWS - In Mexico, several Quercus shrubby species are taxonomically very problematic including 8 taxa with similar characteristics. Now researchers report the purhepecha oak ( Quercus purhepecha De Luna-Bonilla, S. Valencia & Coombes sp. nov.) as a new tomentose shrubby white oak species with a distribution only in the Cuitzeo basin in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB). Quercus Linnaeus (1753) subdivided into 2 subgenera and 8 sections of which section Quercus (white oaks) has the widest distribution in the Americas, Asia and Europe. This section is very diverse in Mexico and Central America with phylogenomic evidence indicating recent and accelerated speciation in these regions. The number of shrubby oak species in Mexico is still uncertain. De Luna-Bonilla of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and colleagues found at least 3 taxa in the TMVB, specifically Quercus frutex Trelease (1924), Quercus microphylla Née (1801) and Quercus repanda Bonpland (1809). In 2016,...

Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar (Amanita javanica)

OPINION - Javan mocca or Javan slender caesar ( Amanita javanica ) is a mysterious fungus species and has been enigmatic since it was first reported by Boedijn in 1951 and after that no explanation or reporting of specimens is believed to be the same as expected. Boedijn (1951) described A. javanica which grew on Java island as having the characteristics covered in the Amanita genus. Corner and Bas in 1962 tried to describe Javan mocca and all species in Amanita based on specimens in Singapore. Over time some reports say that they have found A. javanica specimens in other Southeast Asia including also China, Japan, India and Nepal. But there is no definitive knowledge and many doubt whether the specimen is the same as described by Boedijn (1951). I was fortunate to have seen this species one afternoon and soon I took out a camera for some shots. In fact, I've only met this mushroom species once. Javan mocca is an endangered species and I have never seen in my experience in...

Tekijem (Cyperus cyperoides)

Tekijem ( Cyperus cyperoides ) is a plant species in Cyperaceae, annual grasses that grow in seasonal wetlands, open or shaded fields, swamps, ponds, rice fields, roadsides, open forests, secondary forests and shrubs at altitudes up to 1,800 m in the tropics. C. cyperoides has an upright, triangular shape, 20-75 cm tall from a very short rhizome and has no stolon. The lanceolate-shaped leaves are narrow and long, the tips are pointed, slippery, shiny, green and grow at the bottom and at the top of the stem. The terminal flower appears on the tip of the stem, cylindrical spiklet shaped and green. Each stem has two to seven flowers, each of which has a short or long stem that grows at the end of the stem together with the leaves. Tekijem grows solitary or in small groups at a distance. Propagating using vegetative and generative methods using seeds. At least three sub-species are Cyperus cyperoides cyperoides , Cyperus cyperoides flavus and Cyperus cyperoides pseudoflavus . Th...