Noni (Morinda citrifolia)

Mengkudu or noni (Morinda citrifolia) is a plant species in Rubiaceae, grows in lowlands to an elevation of 1500 m, trees as high as 3-8 m, white hump flowers, compound fruit, shiny green when young and has spots, white with black spots when ripe.

M. citrifolia has twisted stems, stiff branches, bark grayish brown or yellowish brown, and rectangular branches. The wood splits easily after drying and can be used for support for the pepper plant.

Thick leaves, sitting face to face in the shape of a lanceolate, 15-50 cm long, 5-17 cm wide. flat edges, short sharp edges, green and glossy top surface. The base is peg-shaped. A bone in the center with some pinnate veins and a light green color.

Compound flowers, fragrant, round hump, 1-4 cm stalk, grows in the axillary of the leaves and faces the leaves that grow normally. White crown, funnel-shaped and up to 1.5 cm long. Stamens stuck in the mouth of the crown. The pistil has two nipples. Blooms from petals and is shaped like a bunch.

Compound fruit, 7.5-10 cm in diameter, formed from the fruit that sticks together, the hump on the inside. Gradual development follows the process of flower expansion starting from the tip of the head to the base. The compound fruit surface is divided into mottled and warty polygonal segments that originate from the remainder of a single ovule.

Green when thickened, before cooking it becomes yellowish white and finally pale white when ripe. Soft pulp, composed of pyramid-shaped stone fruits with white color and formed from mesocarp.

The pulp contains a lot of water, smells like rotten cheese due to the mixing of capric acid, caproic acid (C6) and caprylic acid (C8). It is suspected that the last two compounds are active antibiotics. Fruit is processed as vegetables and salad. Leaves are also used as one of the nicah peugaga ingredients. Besides that, it is also often used as a medicinal ingredient.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Subfamily: Rubioideae
Tribe: Morindeae
Genus: Morinda
Species: Morinda citrifolia

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