Terminalia ferdinandiana
Encyclopedia
Terminalia ferdinandiana, also called the gubinge, billygoat plum, Kakadu plum or murunga is a flowering plant
in the family Combretaceae
, native to Australia
, widespread throughout the tropical woodlands from northwestern Australia to eastern Arnhem Land
.
Its vitamin C
concentration may be as high as 1000-5300mg/100g (compared with 50mg/100g for oranges), possibly the highest known of any fruit.
growing up to 32 m in height, with creamy-grey, flaky bark and deciduous pale green leaves
. The flower
s are small, creamy-white, perfumed, and borne along spikes in the leaf axils towards the ends of the branches. Flowering is from September to December. (Southern hemisphere spring/summer.)
The fruit
is yellow-green, about 2 centimetres long and 1 centimetre in diameter, almond-sized with a short beak at the tip, and contain one large seed
. They ripen from March onwards.
. The roundish, light green fruits are usually eaten raw, although they can also be made into a jam. The fruits gained increased popularity with Aborigines after the vitamin C results were widely reported.
The Kakadu plum is most notable for its high vitamin C content discovered by analysis carried out by the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand).
Kakadu plum is more commonly sold as an ingredient for cosmetics but is slowly entering new markets as a "nutraceutical
" in food supplements and fortified beverages. While the fruits have been trialled in plantation and some harvests from these irrigated fields is now supplying market demand, the vitamin C levels tend to fall with the less harsh growing conditions compared to wild stands of trees. Aboriginal communities in Australia's Top End benefit as they wild harvest the fruits to supply the growing demand. Unfortunately, this demand has also lead to illegal and premature harvesting by commercial operations seeking to exceed the quantities allowed by government licensing.
Recently, T. ferdinandiana has been attracting attention due to its interesting phytochemistry. In particular, extremely high levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) have been reported for T. ferdinandiana fruit. Indeed, T. ferdinandiana is now known as the richest source of vitamin C of any fruit in the world, with levels over 900 times higher than the same weight of blueberries. Some studies have estimated the levels of ascorbic acid in T. ferdinandiana fruit to be as high as 5.5 % of dry weight, in comparison to approximately 0.5 % dry weight in oranges, grapefruit and limes. Ascorbic acid is well known for its ability to scavenge free radicals and thereby reduce oxidative stress. As the induction of oxidative stress is known to be associated with some cancers, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration disorders, diabetes and obesity, the high levels of ascorbic acid associated with T. ferdinandiana fruit may also have beneficial health related bioactivities.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the family Combretaceae
Combretaceae
Combretaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Myrtales. The family includes about 600 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas in 18 genera. The family includes the leadwood tree, Combretum imberbe. Three genera, Conocarpus, Laguncularia and Lumnitzera, grow in mangrove habitats ....
, native to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, widespread throughout the tropical woodlands from northwestern Australia to eastern Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
.
Its vitamin C
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress...
concentration may be as high as 1000-5300mg/100g (compared with 50mg/100g for oranges), possibly the highest known of any fruit.
Description
Terminalia ferdinandiana is a slender, small to medium-sized treeTree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
growing up to 32 m in height, with creamy-grey, flaky bark and deciduous pale green leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are small, creamy-white, perfumed, and borne along spikes in the leaf axils towards the ends of the branches. Flowering is from September to December. (Southern hemisphere spring/summer.)
The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is yellow-green, about 2 centimetres long and 1 centimetre in diameter, almond-sized with a short beak at the tip, and contain one large seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
. They ripen from March onwards.
Uses
The fruit, now commonly known as Kakadu plum or billygoat plum, is used as bush tucker by the Australian AboriginesIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
. The roundish, light green fruits are usually eaten raw, although they can also be made into a jam. The fruits gained increased popularity with Aborigines after the vitamin C results were widely reported.
The Kakadu plum is most notable for its high vitamin C content discovered by analysis carried out by the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand).
Kakadu plum is more commonly sold as an ingredient for cosmetics but is slowly entering new markets as a "nutraceutical
Nutraceutical
Nutraceutical, a portmanteau of the words “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical”, is a food or food product that reportedly provides health and medical benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. Health Canada defines the term as "a product isolated or purified from foods that is...
" in food supplements and fortified beverages. While the fruits have been trialled in plantation and some harvests from these irrigated fields is now supplying market demand, the vitamin C levels tend to fall with the less harsh growing conditions compared to wild stands of trees. Aboriginal communities in Australia's Top End benefit as they wild harvest the fruits to supply the growing demand. Unfortunately, this demand has also lead to illegal and premature harvesting by commercial operations seeking to exceed the quantities allowed by government licensing.
Medicinal Uses
T. ferdinandiana was used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of numerous ailments. The fruit were eaten by Australian Aborigines on long treks or hunting trips and was considered more valuable as a medicine rather than as a food. The inner bark of the tree was used to treat a variety of skin disorders and infections including wounds, sores and boils. It is also effective in controlling fungal infections such as ringworm, and in the treatment of bacterial infections including its use in treating leprosy. A recent study has reported on the antibacterial activity of T. ferdinandiana.Recently, T. ferdinandiana has been attracting attention due to its interesting phytochemistry. In particular, extremely high levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) have been reported for T. ferdinandiana fruit. Indeed, T. ferdinandiana is now known as the richest source of vitamin C of any fruit in the world, with levels over 900 times higher than the same weight of blueberries. Some studies have estimated the levels of ascorbic acid in T. ferdinandiana fruit to be as high as 5.5 % of dry weight, in comparison to approximately 0.5 % dry weight in oranges, grapefruit and limes. Ascorbic acid is well known for its ability to scavenge free radicals and thereby reduce oxidative stress. As the induction of oxidative stress is known to be associated with some cancers, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration disorders, diabetes and obesity, the high levels of ascorbic acid associated with T. ferdinandiana fruit may also have beneficial health related bioactivities.
External links
- http://www.sgapqld.org.au/bushtucker15.html Description and picture
- Account of eating the fruit in the wild
- Use in Health food market (pdf)