 David H. Lorence
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Taxonomy: |
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Sandoricum koetjape Merr. (Meliaceae)
Synonyms:
Sandoricum indicum Cav.
Sandoricum nervosum Blume
Melia koetjape Burm. f.
Common Names:
English: Santol, Wild Mangosteen, Lolly Fruit, sentieh, sentol, setol, sentul, setul, setui, kechapi or ketapi
Malaya: saton, satawn, katon, or ka-thon
Thailand: kompem
Cambodia: tong
Laos: sau chua, sau tia, sau do, mangoustanier sauvage, or faux mangoustanier
Philippines: santor or katul
Indonesia, ketjapi or sentool
Sarawak and Brunei: klampu
India: sayai, sevai, sevamanu or visayan
Guam: santor
Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae-Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta-Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta-Seed plants
Division; Magnoliophyta-Flowering plants
Class: Dicotyledonae
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Sapindales
Family: Meliacea
Genus: Sandoricum
Species: koetjape
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Description: |
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The santol grows quickly to 15-45 m. tall, with the trunk becoming buttressed when old. Younger branches have dense brown hair.
The leaves are compound, with 3 elliptic to oblong leaflets, 20-25 cm long, blunt at the base and pointed at the tip. The greenish, yellowish, or pinkish-yellow, 5-petaled flowers, about 1 cm long are bunched together in clusters 15-30 long. The fruit is round or oval shaped, with wrinkles extending a short distance from the base, 4-7.5 cm wide, yellowish to golden, sometimes flushed with pink. The fuzzy rind may be thin or thick and contains a thin, milky juice.
There are two varieties of Santol: yellow and red. The yellow fruit has a thin rind, a thicker pulp around the seeds is generally sweeter. Only the yellow variety is now found wild in Malayan forests. Fruits of the red variety have a thicker rind, less pulp around the seeds and are sour. These varieties are not very clearly defined and characteristics of the two kinds tend to grade into each other.
(Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Archtiecture Program (www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/santol.html))
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Geographic Distribution: |
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The santol probably native to SE Asia and long ago was introduced into India, the Andaman Islands, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Moluccas, Mauritius, and the Philippines where it has become naturalized.
The tree is completely intolerant to frost and has only survived introduction to Neotropics in a few locations in Central America and Southern Florida.
(Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Archtiecture Program (www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/santol.html))
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Food Uses: |
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Both the rind, as well as the pulp which clings tightly to the seeds, is edible and can be eaten straight
off the tree, made into a jam or jelly, or preserved in syrup. Young fruits are candied in Malaysia by paring, removing the seeds, boiling in water, then boiling a second time with sugar. Very ripe fruits are fermented with rice to make an alcoholic drink. (Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Archtiecture Program (www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/santol.html))
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Medicinal Uses:** |
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The leaves of santol can be used to treat skin infections or rashes. In the Philippines, fresh leaves are placed on the body to cause sweating and a patient is bathed in a Santol tea to bring down fevers.
The bark contains sandoricum acid, an unnamed, toxic alkaloid, and a steroidal sapogenin, and can be applied to ringworm. The root is given to women after childbirth, and is a remedy for diarrhea.
(Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Archtiecture Program (www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/santol.html))
** The information provided above is not intended to be used as a guide for treatment of medical conditions using plants.
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Species Interconnections and Interdependencies: |
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The Caribbean fruit fly (Anastrepha suspensa) disfigures the rind, but doesn’t penetrate into the pulp.
(Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Archtiecture Program (www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/santol.html))
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Native Legends and Names: |
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The common name "Lolly Fruit" comes from the fact that you have to suck at the seeds to get flavor out of them.
(http://www.capetrib.com.au/santol.htm)
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Indigenous Practices: |
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Santol wood has a decent grain, but its quality is variable. Because it is such an abundant tree, however, it is commonly treated and used as posts in homes or fences.
The wood is also commonly used as fuel. In the Philippines, the bark is used in tanning fishing lines. (Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Archtiecture Program (www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/santol.html))
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