Microcos paniculata
| Khom (Microcos paniculata) | |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Microcos paniculata |
| Common names | Khom; ka phla; laai; bung lai |
| Genus | Microcos |
| Family | Malvaceae |
| Order | Malvales |
| Native range | South Asia through southern China and Malesia |
| Habit | Tropical shrub or small to medium tree |
| Height | About 3–12 m in one account; up to 20 m in another |
| Fruit | Purplish to dark-brown drupe, about 1.5 × 1 cm |
| Fruit use | Described as edible |
Microcos paniculata is a tropical fruiting shrub or tree known as khom, ka phla, laai, and bung lai. Kew and GBIF treat Microcos paniculata as the accepted name; historical combinations include Grewia microcos, Grewia ulmifolia, Microcos glabra, and Microcos nervosa.[1][2] The species has also been confused with Microcos tomentosa, so identification should be checked against more than a vernacular name.[3]
Description[edit | edit source]
This species ranges from Sri Lanka and India through Indo-China and southern China into Thailand and Malesia, in wet tropical to seasonally dry forest settings.[1][3] Descriptions range from a small tree about 3–12 m tall to a shrub or tree reaching 20 m; the difference reflects regional and habitat descriptions rather than a single dependable mature-size value.[3][4][5]
The leaves are thin, oval to oblong, and leathery. Pale-yellow flowers are produced in terminal and axillary panicles. The fruit is a globose to obovate drupe with a leathery pericarp, about 1.5 cm long and 1 cm wide; it is described as purplish and as dark brown when ripe in different regional accounts.[3][5][7]
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
Soil and water[edit | edit source]
Microcos paniculata occurs in mixed deciduous and dry evergreen forest, often beside streams and up to about 1000 m in the PROSEA account.[3] A habitat-based starting point is a moisture-retentive medium with reliable drainage: keep the root zone from drying hard while avoiding permanently stagnant conditions. Adjust irrigation to the plant and substrate rather than applying a fixed calendar.
Sun and humidity[edit | edit source]
The forest and stream-side setting supports beginning with bright filtered light, protection from harsh reflected heat, and good air movement with regular atmospheric humidity. This is a habitat-based cultivation inference; increase exposure only while watching for leaf scorch and water stress.[3]
Seasonal changes[edit | edit source]
Phenology varies by locality. PROSEA records flowering and fruiting in April–June in Thailand, while a Hong Kong government tree record gives flowering in June–July and fruiting in July–December.[3][7] In cultivation, follow local flowering and fruit development rather than importing either calendar; maintain more even moisture through active growth and fruit development, and reduce stress during the dry or cool part of the local cycle.
Propagation[edit | edit source]
Seed is listed as a propagation route in a compiled species account.[4] A separate laboratory study tested shoot-tip and axillary-bud micropropagation from field-grown material and seedlings on Murashige–Skoog medium at approximately 25 ± 2 °C. Under that experiment's conditions, kinetin was the strongest tested cytokinin for shoot response, and NAA performed better than IAA and IBA for root induction; rooted plantlets were hardened in sterilized sand and soil under 50% shade.[6] This is controlled tissue-culture evidence, not a prediction of seed germination, field establishment, or mature-tree performance.
Flowering, fruiting, and harvest[edit | edit source]
Flowers are pale yellow and occur in terminal and axillary panicles. The Hong Kong record describes the flowers as hermaphroditic and gives June–July flowering; the Thailand account gives April–June flowering and fruiting. These regional records should be treated as local phenology rather than a universal calendar or a bearing-age estimate.[3][7] The fruit is a small globose to obovate drupe, approximately 1.5 × 1 cm, changing from purplish to dark brown in the descriptions consulted.[3][7]
Fruit and uses[edit | edit source]
The fruit is described as edible in the PROSEA and Useful Tropical Plants accounts.[3][4] Those accounts do not establish a sensory profile, storage life, or independent food-safety assessment, so the documented edible-use record should not be expanded into storage or safety claims.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ [5] Microcos paniculata: a review on its botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology.