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Flacourtia indica
Also called Batoka Plum, Indian Plum, Madagascar Plum, Batoko Plum, Flacourtia, Mauritius Plum, Rhodesian Plum
Governor's plum is a thorny, bushy shrub or small tree from Africa and tropical Asia, grown for its sweet-acidic edible fruit. It tolerates dry tropical conditions and is valued in folk medicine, though it can be an invasive weed in some areas.
Flacourtia indica (known commonly as ramontchi, governor's plum and Indian plum), is a species of flowering plant native to much of Africa and tropical and temperate parts of Asia. It has various uses, including folk medicine, fuel, animal food and human food.
The plant is known as an occasionally invasive introduced species in some areas. It has been cultivated in Florida in the United States, and today, it occurs as a weed in some parts of the state.
It is native to the countries (and regions) of Bangladesh, Botswana, Burundi, Cambodia, China (southeastern and Hainan), Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India (Assam, Laccadive Islands), Indonesia (Java, Lesser Sunda Islands and Sulawesi), Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Seychelles (Aldabra ), Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, South Africa (Cape Provinces, KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Provinces), Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The ramontchi fruit itself is about an inch thick and red ripening purple. It is very fleshy and has 6 to 10 seeds in layered carpels. The pulp is yellow or white and sweet with an acidic tang. It is eaten raw or made into jelly or jam. It can be fermented to make wine.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Flacourtia indica 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.
