English plum (Spondias dulcis)

Kedongdong or English plum (Spondias dulcis) is a species in the Anacardiaceae, a tree 20 meters tall, erect stem with many branches, bark whitish brown or reddish, fruit eaten fresh or processed into a variety of dishes.

S. dulcis has pinnate leaves, 20-60 cm long, consisting of 9-25 leaflets, green and glossy, elliptical or obovate-oblong and 9-10 cm long. Flowers are white and small in terminal panicles.

Fruit oblong, 6-9 cm long, in bunches with 12 or more items on long stalks. The fruit falls to the ground while still green and firm, then turns golden yellow when ripe.

Young leaves are used as a spice for Pepes. The more ripe leaves are eaten as salad greens despite the sour taste. The fruit can be eaten raw with shrimp paste, thick, black, salty-sweet sauce. Often also used as juice.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Subfamily: Spondiadoideae
Genus: Spondias
Species: Spondias dulcis

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