123
Nephelium
ramboutan – ake (Labill.) Leenh.
Synonym : Nephelium mutabile
Family
: Sapindaceae
Local Names
: Pulasan, Rambutan
Flowering
and fruiting period:
March – July
Distribution: Native of West Malaysia
Habitat: Cultivated
IUCN
status:
Data Deficient
Endemic: No
Uses:
Fruits edible. The seed is roasted and used in the preparation of a cocoa-like beverage.
The roots are used to treat fever. Oil obtained from the seeds is used in
lamps. Wood is used in construction. A useful timber, but rarely used because
the fruit is too valuable to merit the tree being felled.
Key
Characters:
Pulasan is a bushy ornamental tree with
spreading branches that grows up to 24 m in height. The alternate leaves are
pinnately compound, which are a glossy dark green on top. Leaflet margins are
wavy. Flowers are greenish and borne on terminal or axillary panicles. Fruits
broadly ovoid, crimson to dark purple in colour with
