Common Name: Ceylon Olive

General Information

Elaeocarpus serratus is an evergreen tree growing up to 18 metres tall.
The tree is harvested from the wild, and sometimes also cultivated, for its edible fruit and medicinal applications.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia.

Habitat

Evergreen forests from low elevations up to 900 metres in the Himalayas[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

We have no specific information for this species, but members of this genus generally grow well in full sun to moderate shade, requiring a fertile, moist but well-drained soil[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, ]. Fleshy and pleasantly subacid[, ]. They can be used in curries and also pickled like olives[]. The ovoid fruit is about 3cm long[].

Medicinal

The leaves are antirheumatic and an antidote to poisoning[].

The astringent fruits are used in the treatment of dysentery and diarrhoea[].

Other Uses

The seeds contain a fixed oil[]. No further information is given.

The greyish-white wood is light in weight and of little value[, ].
We have no more information on the specific properties of the wood of this species, however the following is a general description of the wood from this genus:-
The heartwood is light-yellowish white to pink-brown, it is not distinctly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is moderately fine and even, with straight to shallowly interlocked grain. The wood is soft to moderately hard; light in weight to moderately heavy; weak; not very durable. It seasons fairly slowly with slight end and surface checking; shrinkage is fairly low. It is easy to resaw and cross-cut; planing is easy and leaves a moderately smooth finish; nailing properties are good. A general purpose wood, it is suitable for purposes such as general planking, shuttering, boxes, crates, wooden pallets, match splints, veneer and plywood[].

Propagation

The seed of most species in this genus is covered by a hard, woody shell and can be very slow and erratic to germinate, sometimes taking 2 years or more. Filing down the shell, or cracking it (being very careful not to damage the seed) in order to allow the ingress of moisture can help to greatly speed up germination. Sow the seed in containers in light shade. When the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out,
Cuttings of almost ripe shoots, in a sandy soil in a frame. The leaves should be left on the stem.[, ]. Many species strike readily from cuttings.

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