47.214.193.24: Wikifruit: independently reviewed article maintenance

2026-09-27T05:11:59Z

Wikifruit: independently reviewed article maintenance

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{| class="wikitable" style="float: right; width: 320px; margin-left: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 1em;"
! colspan="2" style="background: #e8e8e8;" | Indian hog plum (''Spondias pinnata'')
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | [[File:Spondias pinnata-1.JPG|300px|''Spondias pinnata'' at Valley school, Bangalore]]
|-
! Scientific name
| ''Spondias pinnata'' [[#cite_note-1|[1]]]
|-
! Family
| [[Anacardiaceae]] [[#cite_note-1|[1]]]
|-
! Order
| [[Sapindales]]
|-
! Genus
| [[Spondias]]
|-
! Common names
| Indian hog plum; hog plum; wild mango; forest mango; ambra
|-
! Habit
| Deciduous tree, commonly 10–25 m [[#cite_note-2|[2]]][[#cite_note-3|[3]]]
|-
! Fruit
| Yellowish-orange sour drupe, about 3.5–5 × 2.5–3.5 cm in the Flora of China treatment [[#cite_note-2|[2]]]
|}

''Spondias pinnata'' is a deciduous tropical tree in the cashew family, grown for its sour, edible drupes. It occurs in lowland and hill forests and is also cultivated across tropical Asia. [[#cite_note-2|[2]]] The species is accepted in the current GBIF taxonomic match. [[#cite_note-1|[1]]]

== Description ==
The tree is described at 10–15 m in the Flora of China treatment and up to about 25 m in a broader tropical-plant account, so mature height varies with site and growing conditions. [[#cite_note-2|[2]]][[#cite_note-3|[3]]] Leaves are compound, generally with 5–11 leaflets. Terminal panicles carry white flowers, followed by yellowish-orange ellipsoid drupes. The fruit has a woody, grooved, fibrous endocarp and usually contains two or three seeds. [[#cite_note-2|[2]]]

== Cultivation ==
=== Soil and water ===
In its documented range, ''Spondias pinnata'' grows in lowland and hill forests from about 300 to 1,200 m. [[#cite_note-2|[2]]] A cultivation account records a preference for well-drained soil. [[#cite_note-3|[3]]] Give the root zone drainage that prevents prolonged saturation, and maintain more even moisture while a young tree is establishing; the available species account does not support a fixed irrigation schedule.

=== Sun and humidity ===
Forest habitat is consistent with some tolerance of partial shade, while the cultivation account also records success in full sun. [[#cite_note-2|[2]]][[#cite_note-3|[3]]] Use a bright, open position where the soil remains adequately drained, or provide partial shade when establishing plants in a hotter site. Its tropical-Asian distribution is consistent with warm, humid cultivation, without implying a fixed humidity threshold or cold limit.

=== Seasonal changes ===
The tree is deciduous. In the Flora of China treatment area, flowering occurs from April to June and fruiting from August to September. [[#cite_note-2|[2]]] Treat those dates as regional rather than universal: in cultivation, observe local leaf fall and flowering before setting irrigation or harvest expectations, and protect the root zone from becoming waterlogged during seasonal rain.

== Propagation ==
Seed and cuttings are both documented propagation routes. [[#cite_note-3|[3]]]

A 13-treatment germination experiment on Indian hog-plum seed found that soaking in 0.01 M potassium nitrate (KNO3) for 24 hours produced the highest reported germination, 66%, along with the highest reported seedling length, vigour index and biomass in that experiment. [[#cite_note-4|[4]]] The record provides an abstract rather than the complete methods, so the treatment should be regarded as study-specific rather than a guaranteed production schedule.

A separate nursery study tested 10, 15 and 20 cm cuttings with sucrose solutions of 15, 30, 45 and 60 g L−1 plus an untreated control; treatments were applied for one hour. The 15 cm cutting with 15 g L−1 sucrose performed best in that experiment, with 83% cutting success and a reported root length of 15.08 cm. [[#cite_note-5|[5]]] Those results describe the tested nursery conditions and should not be treated as a universal rooting rate.

== Flowering, fruiting, and harvest ==
Terminal panicles bear white flowers. The Flora of China account records flowering from April to June and fruit development to August–September in its treatment area. [[#cite_note-2|[2]]] The drupes are yellowish orange at the described stage and measure about 3.5–5 cm long by 2.5–3.5 cm wide; the regional season and fruit measurements should not be assumed to apply unchanged in every climate. [[#cite_note-2|[2]]]

== Fruit and uses ==
The fruit is sour and is eaten raw or processed into jams, jellies, juices, pickles and chutneys. [[#cite_note-2|[2]]][[#cite_note-3|[3]]] The fibrous, grooved endocarp and usually two or three seeds are useful identification features when a fruit is cut open. [[#cite_note-2|[2]]]

== References ==
* [[#cite_ref-1|↑]] '''[1]''' [https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/match?name=Spondias%20pinnata GBIF species match: ''Spondias pinnata''].

* [[#cite_ref-2|↑]] '''[2]''' [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200012721 ''Spondias pinnata'' in Flora of China].

* [[#cite_ref-3|↑]] '''[3]''' [https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Spondias+pinnata ''Spondias pinnata'' — Useful Tropical Plants].

* [[#cite_ref-4|↑]] '''[4]''' Dey K, Ghosh A, Dey AN, Bhowmick N, Bauri FK (2016). [https://doi.org/10.15258/sst.2016.44.3.15 Studies on seed germination and seedling behaviour of Indian hog-plum (''Spondias pinnata'') in response to different pre-sowing treatments]. ''Seed Science and Technology'' 44(3): 642–646. DOI: 10.15258/sst.2016.44.3.15.

* [[#cite_ref-5|↑]] '''[5]''' Dey K, Ghosh A, Dey AN, Bhowmick N, Ghosh A, Bauri FK (2021). [https://www.cropandweed.com/archives/2021/vol17issue2/17-2-14.pdf Asexual propagation of ''Spondias pinnata'' as influenced by cutting length and sucrose concentration]. ''Journal of Crop and Weed'' 17(2): 93–97. DOI: 10.22271/09746315.2021.v17.i2.1457.

== Image credits ==
* '''Spondias pinnata-1.JPG''': Forestowlet, [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spondias_pinnata-1.JPG Wikimedia Commons file page], own work, CC0 / Public Domain Dedication. The file shows ''Spondias pinnata'' at Valley school, Bangalore.

[[Category:Fruit trees]]
[[Category:Spondias]]

Spondias pinnata - Revision history

47.214.193.24: Wikifruit: independently reviewed article maintenance