| Sonneratia caseolaris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Unripened mangrove apple | |
 | |
| Bud of mangrove apple | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Lythraceae |
| Genus: | Sonneratia |
| Species: | S. caseolaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Sonneratia caseolaris | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
List
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Sonneratia caseolaris, commonly known asmangrove apple,[3] orpagatpat is a species of plant in the familyLythraceae. The fruit is noted for its outward similarity to the persimmon fruit.[4]
This tree is a type ofmangrove growing up to 20 m in height and with a trunk reaching a maximum diameter of 50 cm. It is present in tropicaltidal mud flats from Africa to Indonesia, southwards down to northeast Australia andNew Caledonia and northwards up toHainan Island in China and the Philippines. It haspneumatophores or "knees" up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in height and conical in form[5]
The fruit of this tree is the subject of a legend ofMaldivian folklore,Kulhlhavah Falu Rani. Kuhlhavah (ކުއްޅަވައް) is the Dhivehi name for the mangrove apple (Sonneratia caseolaris).[6]
The tree is associated with congregating fireflies throughout southeast Asia[7] and is the food source of moth and other insects.
The leaves and the fruit are edible and appreciated as food in certain areas, such asMaldives.[3] In Sri Lanka, where the fruit is known askirala gédi (කිරල ගෙඩි) in Sinhala orKārk koṭṭaikaḷ (கார்க் கொட்டைகள்) in Tamil, the pulp of the fruit is mixed with coconut milk extract and made into a milk shake.[8] Many tourist resorts situated in the South of Sri Lanka where the trees grow abundantly alongside rivers, offer fresh fruit drinks made from the fruit. In the Maldives the fruits are used as a refreshing drink and also eaten with scraped coconut & sugar.
The tree is also sometimes known ascork tree, because fishermen in some areas makefishing net floats by shaping thepneumatophores into small floats.[7]
Media related toSonneratia caseolaris at Wikimedia Commons
