Antidesma rumphii Tul.

Antidesma bunius may be shrubby, 3-8 m high, or may reach up to 15-30 m. It has wide-spreading branches forming a dense crown. Leaves evergreen, alternate, oblong, pointed, 10-22.5 cm long, 5-7.5 cm wide, dark-green, glossy, leathery, with very short petioles. Flowers tiny, odorous, reddish, male and female on separate trees, the male in axillary or terminal spikes, the female in terminal racemes 7.5-20 cm long. Fruits round or ovoid, up to 8 mm across, borne in grape-like pendent clusters (often paired) and which are extremely showy because the berries ripen unevenly. Skin thin and tough but yields an abundance of bright-red juice which leaves a purple stain on fabrics, while the pulp, only 3 mm thick, is white with colorless juice. Whole fruits very acid, much like cranberries, when unripe, sub-acid and slightly sweet when fully ripe. Some tasters detect a bitter or unpleasant aftertaste, unnoticeable to others. There is a single, straw-colored, ridged or fluted very hard seed, 3cm long, 6 mm wide. The generic name Antidesma is derived from the Greek ‘anti’-against and ‘desma’-a band or constriction, alluding to its use as anti-snake venom in India.

A. bunius is dioecious. In Indonesia, the trees flower in September and October and the fruits mature in February and March. The fruiting season is July to September in North Vietnam. In Florida it extends from late summer through fall and winter because some trees bloom much later than others.

The tree is not strictly tropical for it has proved to be hardy up to central Florida. It thrives in Java from sea-level to 1 200 m. It grows well and flowers but does not set fruit in Israel.

The bignay is native and common in the wild from the lower Himalayas in India, Sri Lanka, and southeast Asia (but not Malaysia) to the Philippines and northern Australia. It is an abundant and invasive species in the Philippines; occasionally cultivated in Malaysia; grown in every village in Indonesia where the fruits are marketed in clusters. The United States Department of Agriculture received seeds from the Philippines in 1905, twice in 1913 and again in 1918. There are specimens in experimental stations in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras and Hawaii.

Occasionally, seeds may be non-viable due to inadequate pollination. Seedlings may turn out to be male, and female seedlings may not bear for a number of years. Vegetative propagation is therefore preferred. The tree is readily multiplied by cuttings, grafting or air-layering. The air-layers have borne fruit in 3 years after transplanting. Grafting is recommended in the wet season because scions will remain dormant in dry weather. Most female trees will bear some fruit without the presence of a male because many of the flowers are perfect. Whenever the seeds are used, they need about 1 month of after-ripening and can then be sown under shade without pre-treatment. Fresh seeds need pre-treatment with sulphuric acid for 15 min followed by soaking in water for 24 hours. The viability is about 3-70%.

The trees should be spaced 12-14 m apart, each way. One male tree should be planted for every 10 to 12 females to provide cross-pollination. Wind-protection is desirable when the trees are young. Otherwise they require very little cultural attention.

The tree is attacked by termites in Southeast Asia. In Florida, the leaves may be heavily attacked by mealybugs and by scale insects and sooty mold develops on their excretions. Here, also, the foliage is subject to green scurf and algal leaf spot caused by Cephaleuros tirescens.

Depulped and dried fruits of A.bunius may be stored for 2-5 years in airtight containers without a serious decrease in seed viability. There are about 2 800 seeds/kg.

Reclamation: A. bunius has occasionally been employed in reforestation projects. Ornamental: The dark green and glossy, alternate leaves make the tree an attractive ornamental.

Food: Mostly children eat the fruits. Indonesians cook the fruits with fish. Elsewhere the fruits (unripe and ripe together) are made into jam and jelly though the juice is difficult to jell and pectin must be added. Some cooks add lemon juice as well. If the extracted bignay juice is kept under refrigeration for a day or so, there is settling of a somewhat astringent sediment, which can be discarded, thus improving the flavor. For several years, the richly colored jelly was produced on a small commercial scale in southern Florida. The juice makes excellent syrup and has been successfully fermented into wine and brandy. In Indonesia and the Philippines, the leaves are eaten raw or stewed with rice. They are often combined with other vegetables as flavouring. Fibre: The bark yields a strong fiber for rope and cordage. The timber has been experimentally pulped for making cardboard. Timber: The timber is reddish and hard. If soaked in water, it becomes heavy and hard. Gum or resin: Poison: The bark contains a toxic alkaloid. The heavy fragrance of the flowers, especially the male, is very obnoxious to some individuals. Medicine: The leaves are sudorific and employed in treating snakebite in Asia.