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Elaeocarpus serratus
Ceylon olive is a medium to large evergreen tree from the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka, grown for its edible fruit and as an ornamental shade tree. It needs a warm, seasonally dry tropical climate and a sunny spot.
Elaeocarpus serratus, the Ceylon olive, is a tropical flowering plant in the family Elaeocarpaceae. It is a medium to large tree, with white flowers. It has a disjunctive distribution, with the species occurring in Sri Lanka and southern India, and in Assam, Bangladesh and other parts in the north of the Indian subcontinent. The fruit is commonly eaten, and people also use the plant for ornamental, religious and folk-medicinal purposes. There are historical records of traditional-medicine use of the plant. Paradoxurus jerdoni (Brown palm civet) consumes parts of the tree.
The species has a disjunctive distribution, it is native to an area of southern and southwest India and Sri Lanka, and to an area from Assam, northeast India, to Bangladesh. Countries and regions in which it is indigenous to are: Sri Lanka, India (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh), Bangladesh, Nepal. It has been introduced/naturalised to Réunion and Mauritius. It is also widely available in the villages of West Bengal. It is called 'Jalpai' and people eat it raw or make chutney, Jalpai ambal, or Achar.
The taxa is used as an ornamental plant and its fruit are eaten.
Blue Quandong · Eumundi quondong · Elaeocarpus stipularis · Elaeocarpus sylvestris
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Elaeocarpus serratus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
