Willughbeia edulis | |
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Willughbeia edulis, known as Kouy fruit, for sale in Cambodia | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Gentianales |
Family: | Apocynaceae |
Genus: | Willughbeia |
Species: | W. edulis
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Binomial name | |
Willughbeia edulis | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Willughbeia edulis[2] is a vine species bearing tropical fruit in the family Apocynaceae.
The tropical plant genus Willughbeia all commemorate Francis Willughby, English ornithologist and ichthyologist.[3] Edulis comes from the Latin, which translates as edible.[4] In fact, it is one of the rare climbing plants of Southeast Asia of which the fruits are eatable.[5]
It is a yellow sour edible fruit found in: India, Indo-China (Cambodia, Myanmar, and Isan (northeastern) with Chanthaburi Province of Thailand[6] as well as Vietnam) include Peninsular Malaysia. It may be known under a number of synonyms including "Willughbeia cochinchinensis".[7]
After its reddish lenticelled stems are excised, they exude a milky latex which produces a rubber called chittagong.[8] The roots can be used as a red dye[9] and it may be used medicinally in parts of Asia including Cambodia.
Local names include: kuy (គុយ) in Cambodia; gedraphol, laleng-tenga, bel-tata in India; dton-kuy (ต้นคุย), kuiton (เถาคุย), kreua (เครือ), and katong-katiew (กะตังกะติ้ว) in Thai; bak yang-pa (บักยางป่า) in Isan dialect.[6][9] talaing-no in Myanmar; and guồi in Vietnamese.[10]
Kubal madu in Indonesia refers to a similar edible relative, W. sarawacensis.