Jamaican cherry

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Jamaica-cherry
• Panama-berry
• calabur-tree
• capulin
• strawberry-tree
• Singapore Cherry
• calabur tree

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Muntingia rosea
• Muntingia glabra
• Muntingia calabura var. trinitensis

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Malvales, it is classified under the family Muntingiaceae. Ultimately, it is identified by the genus Muntigiia and the specific species Muntigia calabura.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution spanning several distinct regions across the globe. In East Tropical Africa, it can be found growing within the countries of Kenya and Tanzania. Its presence extends into the Arabian Peninsula, specifically documented in Oman. Moving toward the Indian Subcontinent, the species is well-established in both Bangladesh and India. This wide range demonstrates the adaptability of the species across diverse tropical environments.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Muntingia calabura is characterized by its ability to thrive across a broad altitudinal gradient, ranging from sea level (0 m AMSL) up to a maximum elevation of 1100 m AMSL. This species demonstrates significant ecological plasticity, occupying diverse environments including anthropogenic areas (Área Antrópica), riparian forests or gallery forests (Floresta Ciliar ou Galeria), and terra firme forests (Floresta de Terra Firme). Its presence in human-disturbed landscapes suggests a high capacity for colonization in modified habitats, while its occurrence in various forest types underscores its adaptability to different moisture levels and soil conditions within tropical and subtropical ecosystems.

Elevational range max:

1100 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

Área Antrópica, Floresta Ciliar ou Galeria, Floresta de Terra Firme

Life history

The life history of Muntingia calabura is characterized by its status as a perennial species, allowing it to persist in its environment over many years through successive growing seasons. Throughout its lifespan, the plant maintains an evergreen habit, ensuring that it retains its foliage continuously rather than shedding it seasonally. This combination of a long-lived lifecycle and constant leaf presence enables the plant to maintain steady photosynthetic activity and support its rapid growth and frequent flowering cycles.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Muntingia calabura is characterized by its growth form as a woody tree, which is entirely terrestrial in its habitat and functions as an independent organism rather than a parasite or epiphyte. This self-supporting species exhibits significant vertical development, with a plant height that typically ranges from a minimum of 3 meters to a maximum of 12 meters, maintaining an average height of approximately 9 meters. As a non-climbing, self-supporting tree, its structure is robust and stable, lacking the vine or liana characteristics associated with climbing plants.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

12 m

Plant height mean:

9 m

Plant height min:

3 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Muntingia calabura is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, which dictates its carbon fixation processes and metabolic efficiency in various environmental conditions. The plant's vegetative structure features leaves with specific morphological dimensions, typically ranging in length from a minimum of 4 cm to a maximum of 15 cm. Correspondingly, the leaf width fluctuates between a minimum of 1 cm and a maximum of 6.5 cm, providing the necessary surface area for light interception and gas exchange. Regarding its nutrient acquisition capabilities, the species does not function as a nitrogen fixer, relying instead on the uptake of available nitrogen from the soil through its root system to support its metabolic functions and growth.

Leaf length max:

15 cm

Leaf length min:

4 cm

Leaf width max:

6.5 cm

Leaf width min:

1 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Muntingia calabura is driven by biotic pollination processes, specifically utilizing insect vectors such as bees to facilitate fertilization. The plant is capable of self-fertilization, ensuring reproductive success through its pink-colored flowers, which typically measure between 0.4 cm and 0.6 cm in width. Following successful pollination, the plant produces fleshy, indehiscent berries that serve as the fruit type. These fruits are characterized by a mean length of 1.17 cm and a mean width of 1.27 cm. Each fruit is highly prolific, containing more than 1,000 seeds. The seeds themselves are quite small, with a mean mass of approximately 9.33335e-05 g (ranging from a minimum of 2e-05 g to a maximum of 5e-04 g) and a maximum length of 0.5 mm. The seed volume varies significantly, with a minimum of 0.024 mm³, a maximum of 14 mm³, and a mean volume of 3.56525 mm³. Dispersal is achieved through a zoochorous syndrome, where animals play a critical role in distributing the high volume of seeds produced by the fleshy berries.

Dehiscence :

indehiscent

Dispersal syndrome :

zoochorous

Flower colour :

pink

Flower width max:

0.6 cm

Flower width min:

0.4 cm

Fruit dryness :

fleshy

Fruit length mean:

1.17 cm

Fruit type :

berry

Fruit width mean:

1.27 cm

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

bee

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Seed length max:

0.5 mm

Seed mass max:

5e-04 g

Seed mass mean:

9.33335e-05 g

Seed mass min:

2e-05 g

Seed volume max:

14 mm³

Seed volume mean:

3.56525 mm³

Seed volume min:

0.024 mm³

Seeds_per_fruit :

>1000

Self fertilization :

present

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Muntingia calabura has 2 reported plant parts identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, root.

Leaf

1. Phytochemical analysis : PCA

Root

1. Journal of natural products

Chemicals

Muntingia calabura has 23 reported phytochemicals identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include 7-Hydroxyflavone, Ash, CALCIUM, FAT, Flavonoid.

7-Hydroxyflavone

1. Current issues in molecular biology

Ash

1. Dr. Duke

CALCIUM

1. Dr. Duke

FAT

1. Dr. Duke

Flavonoid

1. PeerJ

Flavonoids

1. BMC complementary and alternative medicine

IRON

1. Dr. Duke

NO

1. The American journal of Chinese medicine

PHOSPHORUS

1. Dr. Duke

POTASSIUM

1. Dr. Duke

Activities

Muntingia calabura has 212 reported activities identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antidiabetic, Antiulcer, Acidulant, Aldose-Reductase-Inhibitor.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. PeerJ
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Antidiabetic

1. Dr. Duke
2. PeerJ

Antiulcer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Pharmaceutical biology

Acidulant

1. Dr. Duke

Aldose-Reductase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Allergenic

1. Dr. Duke

Analgesic

1. Dr. Duke

Androgenic?

1. Dr. Duke

Angiotensin-Receptor-Blocker

1. Dr. Duke

AntiAGE

1. Dr. Duke

Medicinal Uses

Muntingia calabura has 5 reported medicinal uses identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include Diabetes mellitus, cold, headache, hyperglycemia, inflammation.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations