

Yellow plum fruit
Introduction of Yellow plum fruit
Scientific name - Ximenia Americana
Indigenous to the tropics, Ximenia Americana is commonly identified by its regional name known as yellow plum or sea lemon. This small sprawling tree of woodlands has its roots from the family Olacaceae. Having strong smell of almonds, the leaves of yellow plum are oval shaped and bright green in color with the flowers being pale in color. Having said that, there is no particular fragrance of the fruit, but the flowers have a concentrated lilac aroma. With a pleasant plum like flavor, the fruits are orange-red or lemon-yellow in color. The young leaves of the fruit are cooked and consumed as a vegetable in Asia. The sweet-smelling pink, yellow-green and white flowers occur in branched inflorescences are borne on pedunculate axillary racemes or umbels; pedicles 3-7 mm long, both peduncles and pedicles glabrous. With no trichomes, the fruits of Ximenia are globose to ellipsoidal drupes that are just about 3 cm long, 2.5 cm thick. At its younger stage they are green in color and becomes yellowish (or, rarely, orange-red) when ripe, containing a juicy pulp. Coming to the seed of the fruit, they are woody, light yellow, up to 1.5 cm long, 1.2 cm thick with a full of fat core and a fragile shell.

Nutritional Value of Yellow plum fruit
Energy Value (kj/100 g) | 1506 |
Phosphorus (µg/g) | 1674 |
Calcium (µg/g) | 29 |
Magnesium (µg/g) | 459 |
Iron (µg/g) | 366 |
Potassium (µg/g) | 41791 |

Notorious for a wide range of uses, the fruit is known to quench thirst and is used in making jams, jellies or an intoxicating drink, however they are also consumed raw. After thorough cooking, the young leaves of the fruit are fit to be eaten. Seeds of the fruit are cooked, powdered and mixed with sago to make bread. The tree’s bark, fruit, and leaves have many uses in local medicine for people and animals. The hard and dense wood is used as firewood.

Health benefits of Yellow plum fruit
The leaves and twigs of the tree apart from being used as a laxative and eye lotion, they are used to treat:
Fever
Colds
Roots are used for headaches (especially in children), angina, and as a poison remedy. In addition, they are also used for skin problems, headaches, venereal disease, sleeping sickness, oedema, leprosy, haemorrhoids, sexually transmitted diseases, guinea worm and act as an antidote to poison. Routine constipation can also be treated with the help of this fruit.




