Buchanania arborescens, Sparrow's Mango, Little Gooseberry, 'Otak Udang' literally means "prawn's brains".
Sparrow's Mango (Buchanania arborescens) is a medium sized tree that can grow up to 35 m tall, and may sometimes have buttresses upto 1 m high.
Bark is smooth, greyish brown, red on the inside, and oozes harmless greyish gum when cut.
Crown is compact with upright leaves that are spirally arranged.
The stalked leaves have leathery leaf blades that are green, oval to drop-shaped, with a blunt tip, and network-like venation.. Young leaves are reddish in color.
Its flowering shoots are 5.5–22 cm long, and bear small creamish-white flowers with 5-6 petals.
Fruits are tiny, globular, about 1 cm in diameter, reddish to purple-black when ripe.
These are eaten by sparrows, imperial pigeons and other birds.
Aboriginal people of Australia eat the fruit raw. Unripe fruits may be boiled and cooked. When ripe, they become sweet and pulpy, like gooseberries, although their rind is not very thick. This resemblance is the reason why the tree is also called 'the little gooseberry'tree" .
The plant is also used as a traditional medicine in Australia and Malaysia. Headaches can be treated using a poultice of pounded leaves.
There is currently one individual of Buchanania arborescens listed as a Heritage Tree in Singapore. It can be found at the Changi trail.
Scientific name: Buchanania arborescens
Common names: Sparrow's Mango, Little Gooseberry, The Malay name of this tree 'Otak Udang' literally means "prawn's brains".
Family: Anacardiaceae
Native Distribution: China, Taiwan, Myanmar, Andaman Islands, Indochina, Thailand, throughout Malaysia, Singapore to New Britain (Papua New Guinea), Solomons Islands, and Australia
References:
Plants of Singapore
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