Mangifera caesia


Mangifera caesia is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. Common names include jack, white mango, binjai, wani, yaa-lam, bayuno/baluno/belunok and mangga wani. It belongs to the same genus as the mango and is widely cultivated in areas of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.
It was featured in Malaysian stamp, printed in 27-Feb-1999 under rare fruits series stamp.

Description

These are restricted to wet lowlands at below 450m. It requires rainfall and is rarely in found forests but rather abundant in marshy places and riverside areas. Grows up to tall with a dense crown of round-shaped leaves. The flowers are purple or pink, 0.7 cm long with five sepals. The fruit is a large, edible, elliptical drupe long and wide. The skin is thin and brown with darker patches, and the flesh is yellow-white, mushy, and strongly odorous with an acid-sweet or sour taste. The binjai is believed to originate from the island of Borneo, but is commonly grown elsewhere for its edible fruit. The tree is one of the most common and valuable Mangifera species in western Malaysia, where it is cultivated extensively in orchards. It is also widely grown in Bali, Sumatra, and Borneo.

Reproduction

This tree produces thousand of fruits, ripening three months after anthesis. The fruit matures during the rainy season, this is a deciduous, stands erect and bare before shedding large bud scales that envelops twigs and inflorescence.

Propagation method

It is propagated from seeds or through marcotting. Grafting on the seedling stock is also possible through inarching potted rootstocks onto twigs of mother trees. The mature tree requires abundant space, about 12m to 16m in either direction.

Used in dishes

The fruit of the M. caesia can be served fresh, preserved or cooked. They can be eaten dipped in chili and dark soy sauce. In Bali, it is used as an ingredient for local creamy juices, also for making spice base for chillies sambal which is eaten with river fish. it can also be used in making pickles The wood is used for light construction.

Nutritional value

The following is the nutritional value of binjai fruit per 100 grams that is
The sap of M. caesia can cause skin eruptions or dermatitis. It unripe fruits' sap can also cause irritation.