Rambutan

Rambutan

Nephelium lappaceum

Keluarga : Sapindaceae

Genera : Nephelium

Nama Saintifik : Nephelium lappaceum

Nama Tempatan : Rambutan English (ramboostan,rambutan); Filipino (usan,rambutan); French (litchi chevelu); German (Rambutan); Indonesian (chorogol,rambutan,gente,kakapas); Khmer (saaw maaw,ser mon); Malay (rambutan,buah abong,rangalau); Mandarin (hooun mo daon shau tsz); Swahili (mshokishoki); Thai (phruan ngoh,ngoh paa,ngoh); Trade name (rambutan); Vietnamese (vai thi[ee][uf],vai thieu,saaw maaw,chom chom,ch[oo]m ch[oo]m)

Asal-usul dan Taburan : Indonesia, Malaysia  Exotic , Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Honduras, India, Liberia, Mexico, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United States of America, Vietnam, Zanzibar

Deskripsi Tumbuhan :

Rambutan adalah pohon malar hijau yang tingginya boleh mencapai sehingga 10-12m. Ia adalah pokok yang teguh dan mempunyai dahan yang besar dan kukuh. Kulit kayunya bertompok-tompok dan berwarna gelap. Daunnya berselang-seli dan mempunyai anak daun. Bunganya dalam jambangan dan berwarna kuning kehijauan. Buahnya berwarna merah dan mempunyai rerambut berwarna merah kehijauan. Isinya berwarna putih dan mempunyai biji.

Kegunaan :

-Buahnya yang manis boleh dimakan begitu sahaja, yang lebih masam pula boleh dimakan setelah direbus.

-Buahnya juga boleh dimasak untuk dijadikan jem.

-Buahnya yang berwarna terang sering digunakan dalam hiasan bunga dan buah-buahan.

-Bijinya boleh dimakan setelah dipanggang. Ianya pahit dan juga narkotik.

-Di Malaysia, air rebusan akarnya boleh digunakan untuk merawat demam dan kulit kayunya boleh digunakan untuk merawat penyakit lidah.

*penggunaan tumbuhan ini sebagai ubatan bergantung kepada kesesuaian individu dan saranan daripada pengamal perubatan amatlah digalakkan.

Family : Sapindaceae

Genus : Nephelium

Scientific name : Nephelium lappaceum

Vernacular name : Rambutan English (ramboostan,rambutan); Filipino (usan,rambutan); French (litchi chevelu); German (Rambutan); Indonesian (chorogol,rambutan,gente,kakapas); Khmer (saaw maaw,ser mon); Malay (rambutan,buah abong,rangalau); Mandarin (hooun mo daon shau tsz); Swahili (mshokishoki); Thai (phruan ngoh,ngoh paa,ngoh); Trade name (rambutan); Vietnamese (vai thi[ee][uf],vai thieu,saaw maaw,chom chom,ch[oo]m ch[oo]m)

Origin and distribution : Indonesia, Malaysia  Exotic , Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Honduras, India, Liberia, Mexico, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United States of America, Vietnam, Zanzibar

Plant description :

Nephelium lappaceum is an evergreen tree about 10-12 m tall; principal trunk is erect with an open crown of large branches; bark is slightly rugose, greyish or red. Leaves are alternate, pinnately compound without an end-leaflet. On the lower surface of each leaflet are the domatia, small crater-like hills located in the axils between the mid and secondary veins. The function of the domatia is unknown.

Inflorescence pseudo-terminal to usually terminal; flowers either male (only stamens well developed; trees dioecious) or hermaphrodite (trees monoecious), the latter either effectively female (stamens small, anther not dehiscing) or male (stigma not opening), actinomorphic, whitish, yellowish or greenish; sepals 4-5(7), nearly free to more than halfway connate, 0.7-2.1 mm long; petals usually absent, sometimes up to 4 reduced ones, not exceeding 1.6 mm; disk complete, hairy or glabrous.

Fruit an ellipsoid to subglobular schizocarp, up to 7 x 5 cm, weighing 20- 95 g, usually consisting of only 1 nutlet, yellowish to purplish-red, hardly stalked, often finally dehiscing (at least the apical part), glabrous, usually densely set with filiform, curved, 0.5-2 cm long appendages; wall coriaceous, up to 2.5 mm thick. Seed covered by a usually thick, juicy, white to yellow, translucent sarcotesta.

The specific name stems from the Latin word ‘lappaceus’ meaning ‘bur- like’ and refers to the fruit appendages. The word rambutan is derived from the Malay word ‘hair,’ which describes the numerous, characterizing, long, soft, red or red and green coloured spine-like protuberances (spinterns) on the surface of the fruit.

Uses :

-The trees are cultivated for their very popular fruit. The usually juicy sarcotesta around the seed is eaten. The sweet-tasting fruits are consumed fresh, the more sour ones are eaten stewed.

-The sarcotesta can be canned or used in jam, but loses much of its flavour.

-Seeds are edible when roasted, they are bitter and said to be narcotic.

-Edible tallow similar to cacao butter, with a high level of arachidic acid, can be rendered from the seeds.

-The colourful fruits are frequently used in displays with flower and fruit arrangements.

-Fruit is said to be astringent, stomachic, and anthelmintic; the leaves are used in poultices for headaches. -In Java the toxic saponin is dried and used as medicine.

-In Malaysia, the roots are used in a decoction for treating fever; and the bark as an astringent for tongue diseases.