| Jack | ||||||||||||||
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| Mangifera caesia Jack ex Wall. |
The Jack (Mangifera caesia), locally called Binjai in the Malay language, is a species of mango found in areas of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. The tree lives in lowlands or gentle slopes on sandy clay soils. It grows up to 30 m tall with a dense crown of round-shaped leaves. The flowers are purple or pink, 0.7 cm long with five sepals. The fruit is a large, edible, elliptical drupe 10-15 cm long and 6-8 cm wide. The skin is thin and brown with darker patches, and the flesh is yellow-white, mushy, and strongly odorous with an acid-sweet or sour taste. Although its name suggests that it is the jackfruit, this actually is a completely different plant altogether. The Binjai is believed to originate from the island of Borneo, but is commonly grown elsewhere for its edible fruit. The tree is one of the most common and valuable mango species in western Malaysia, where it is cultivated extensively in orchards. It is also widely grown in Bali, Sumatra, and Borneo. The fruit can be eaten dipped in chili and dark soy sauce. The wood is used for light construction. Binjai is almost always propagated by seed. The tree requires rainfall that is distributed evenly throughout the year. It is a possible candidate for wider cultivation in the future. The fruit is very rare and worth thousands of dollars in the Indian market
