Malpighia fucata
Ker Gawl.
Malpighiaceae
Malpighia elliptica C.Presl
Malpighia macrophylla Desf.
Malpighia shaferi Britton & P.Wilson
Common Name:
General Information
Malpighia fucata is an evergreen shrub or a small tree that can grow around 2 - 6 metres tall with a main stem up to 8cm in diameter[
426- Title
- Flowering Plants of Jamaica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Adams. C.D.
- Publisher
- University of the West Indies; Jamaica.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A terse treatment of the flowering plants of Jamaica, with a botanical description of each plant, notes on habitat etc.
,
448- Title
- Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Second Volume.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Little E.L.; Woodbury R.O.;Wadsworth F.H.
- Publisher
- USDA, Forest Service; Washington.
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 500 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Known Hazards
The leaves are poisonous and can irritate the skin[
1438- Title
- Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
].
The plant has stinging needle-like hairs that lay flat on the lower leaf surfaces[
448- Title
- Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Second Volume.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Little E.L.; Woodbury R.O.;Wadsworth F.H.
- Publisher
- USDA, Forest Service; Washington.
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 500 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
].
Botanical References
426- Title
- Flowering Plants of Jamaica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Adams. C.D.
- Publisher
- University of the West Indies; Jamaica.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A terse treatment of the flowering plants of Jamaica, with a botanical description of each plant, notes on habitat etc.
,
448- Title
- Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Second Volume.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Little E.L.; Woodbury R.O.;Wadsworth F.H.
- Publisher
- USDA, Forest Service; Washington.
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 500 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
Range
Caribbean - Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Leeward Islands
Habitat
Moist coastal forests; at elevations up to 540 metres[
448- Title
- Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Second Volume.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Little E.L.; Woodbury R.O.;Wadsworth F.H.
- Publisher
- USDA, Forest Service; Washington.
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 500 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
]. Woodland, on limestone soils; at elevations from 450 - 900 metres[
426- Title
- Flowering Plants of Jamaica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Adams. C.D.
- Publisher
- University of the West Indies; Jamaica.
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A terse treatment of the flowering plants of Jamaica, with a botanical description of each plant, notes on habitat etc.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Tree |
| Height | 4.50 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Malpighia fucata is found mainly in the wet tropics.
Species in this genus generally grow best in a sunny position, preferring a well-drained, fertile, humus-rich soil[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
The plant flowers and produces fruit intermittantly throughout the year[
448- Title
- Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Second Volume.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Little E.L.; Woodbury R.O.;Wadsworth F.H.
- Publisher
- USDA, Forest Service; Washington.
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 500 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
].
Edible Uses
Fruit - raw or cooked[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
,
335- Title
- Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory
- Publication
-
- Author
- Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M.
- Publisher
- U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
- Year
- 1987
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
,
1438- Title
- Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2014
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
]. A thin flesh with a single seed[
448- Title
- Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Second Volume.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Little E.L.; Woodbury R.O.;Wadsworth F.H.
- Publisher
- USDA, Forest Service; Washington.
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 500 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
]. The round, fleshy, red fruit is around 15mm in diameter[
448- Title
- Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Second Volume.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Little E.L.; Woodbury R.O.;Wadsworth F.H.
- Publisher
- USDA, Forest Service; Washington.
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 500 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed -
Cuttings - cuttings of half-ripe wood, with entire leaves, in a frame with bottom heat[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
