Talok (Muntingia calabura)

Talok (Muntingia calabura) is a tree species in Muntingiaceae, producing small, sweet, bright green and red fruits. Shrubs generally grow only 3-6 m tall, enduring green, continue to flower and bear fruit throughout the year.

M. calabura has horizontal branches, hanging at the ends and forming a shady shade. Twigs and leaves have fine hair mixed with glandular hair. The leaves are flat, alternating in asymmetrical strands, round lanceolate eggs, jagged and pointed edges, 1-4x4-14 cm, dense gray haired underside and short stem.



Talok flowers appear among the leaves in a file containing up to 5 buds on the armpit above the growing leaves, long-stemmed, twins and five, petals sharing in, tapered tangle shaped thread and fine hair. Flat crown, round egg upside down, white thin, bald and 1 cm in diameter.

Kersen fruit is long stem, almost perfect round, 1 cm to 1.5 cm in diameter, green, yellow and finally red, crowned with the rest of the stigma that does not fall like a five-pointed black star. Contains thousands of seeds, smooth, yellowish white, immersed in meat and has very sweet juices.

In every 100 grams the calabur tree fruit contains water (77.8 g), protein (0.324 g), fat (1.56 g), fiber (4.6 g), calcium (124.6 mg), phosphorus (84 , 0 mg), iron (1.18 mg), carotene (0.019 mg), vitamin B1 (Thiamine) (0.065 mg), riboflavin (0.037 mg), niacin (0.554 mg), and vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid or antioxidants ) (80.5 mg).

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Muntingiaceae
Genus: Muntingia L. in Sp. Pl.: 509 (1753)
Species: Muntingia calabura L. in Sp. Pl.: 509 (1753)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Muntingia calabura var. trinitensis Griseb. in Fl. Brit. W. I.: 98 (1860)
Muntingia glabra Spreng. in Syst. Veg., ed. 16. 2: 592 (1825)
Muntingia rosea H.Karst. in Fl. Columb. 2: 55 (1863)

PUBLICATIONS

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.

Aung, Y.L., Aung, M.H., Tan, Y. & Jin, X. (2025). An updated checklist of vascular plants of Myanmar. PhytoKeys 261: 135-364.

Berendsohn, W.G., Gruber, A.K., Rodríguez Delcid, D. & Olmedo Galán, P. (2016). Nova Silva Cuscatlantica. Parte 3: Angiospermae - Familias R a Z y Gymnospermae. Englera 29(3): 1-356.

Brako, L. & Zarucchi, J.L. (1993). Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 45: i-xl, 1-1286. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Dassanayake (ed.) (1996). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon 10: 1-426. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. PVT. LTD., New Delhi, Calcutta.

Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2015). Flora of North America North of Mexico 6: 1-468. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.

Florence, J. (2004). Flore de la Polynésie Française 2: 1-503. IRD editions, Paris.

Fosberg, F.R., Sachet, M.-H., Oliver, R. (1979). A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae. Micronesica; Journal of the College of Guam 15: 41-295.

Garcia-Mendoza, A.J. & Meave, J.A. (eds.) (2012). Diversidad florística de Oaxaca: de musgos a angiospermas (colecciones y listas de especies), ed. 2: 1-351. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

George, A.S., Orchard, A.E. & Hewson, H.J. (eds.) (1993). Oceanic islands 2. Flora of Australia 50: 1-606. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Ghazanfar, S.A. (1992). An Annotated Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Oman and their Vernacular names. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2: 1-153.

Ghazanfar, S.A. (2003). Flora of Oman 1: 1-262. National Botanic Garden of Belgium, Meise.

Girmansyah, D. & al. (eds.) (2013). Flora of Bali an annotated checklist: 1-158. Herbarium Bogorensis, Indonesia.

Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.

Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.

Jørgensen, P.M. & León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999). Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75: i-viii, 1-1181. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Kiew, R. & al. (eds.) (2021). Malayan Forest Records 49: 1-403.

Lorence, D.H. & Wagnwe, W.L. (2020). Flora of the Marquesas Islands 2: 413-1135. National Tropical Botanic Garden, Smithsonian, DRPF.

Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.

Morat, P. & Veillon, J.-M. (1985). Contributions à la conaissance de la végétation et de la flore de Wallis et Futuna. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Section B, Adansonia 7: 259-329.

Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Newman, M., Ketphanh, S., Svengsuksa, B., Thomas, P., Sengdala, K., Lamxay, V. & Armstrong, K. (2007). A checklist of the vascular plants of Lao PDR: 1-394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

Niembro Rocas, A., Vázquez Torres, M. & Sáchez Sáchez, O. (2010). Árboles de Veracruz 100 especies para la reforstación estratégica: 1-253. Gombierno del Estado de Veracruz, México.

Nurtjahya, E. & al. (2026). Flowering Plants of Bangka Island: Native and Introduced. Acta Botanica Hungarica 68: 127-156.

Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.

Pasha, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.

Sachet, M.-H. (1969). List of vascular flora of Rangiroa. Atoll Research Bulletin 125: 33-44.

Smith, A.C. (1981). Flora Vitiensis Nova. A new flora for Fiji (Spermatophytes only) 2: 1-810. Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai.

Smitinand, T. & Larsen, K. (eds.) (1993). Flora of Thailand 6(1): 1-80. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

St. John, H. (1988). Census of the Flora of the Gambier islands, Polynesia. Pacific Plant Studies 43: 1-34.

Stevens, W.D., Ulloa U., C., Pool, A. & Montiel, O.M. (2001). Flora de Nicaragua. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: i-xlii, 1-2666. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Sykes, W.R. (2016). Flora of the Cook Islands: 1-973. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Hawaii.

Thaman, R.R., Fosberg, F.R., Manner, H.I. & Hassall, D.C. (1994). The Flora of Nauru. Atoll Research Bulletin 392: 1-223.

Trusty, J.L., Kesler, H.C. & Delgado, G.H. (2006). Vascular flora of Isla del Coco, Costa Rica. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, ser. 4, 57: 247-355.

Turner, I.M. (1995 publ. 1997). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(2): 347-655.

Vikraman, R/R/, Pandurangan, A.G. & Thulasidas, G. (2008). A study on the garden escaped exotics of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. Journal of East African Natural History 32: 765-781.

Villaseñor, J.L. (2016). Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559-902.

Welsh, S.L. (1998). Flora Societensis: 1-420. E.P.S. Inc. Utah.

Whitehouse, C., Cheek, M., Andrews, S. & Verdcourt, B. (2001). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Tiliaceae & Muntingiaceae: 1-120.

Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.

VERNACULAR NAME

Cebuano: Mansanitas
Chinese (simplified): 文丁果 - 文定果
Chinese (traditional): 南美假櫻桃 - 文定果 - 西印度櫻桃
Divehi: ޖާމު Jamu
Dutch: Japanse kers
English: Talok, Kersen, Calabur tree, Singapore Cherry, Cotton candy berry, Capulin, Festival berry, Strawberry tree, Ornamental cherry, Jamfruit tree, West Indian cherry, Jam tree, Calabura
Filipino: Datiles, Aratilis, Manzanitas
French: Bois ramier
Hebrew: גרגר פנמה
Hiligaynon: Ceresa, Sarisa
Hindi: कट्टिलान्थी Kattilanthi
Hong Kong: 南美假櫻桃
Iloko: Seresa, Zanitas
Indonesia: Kersen, Talok, Cerri, Seri, Kerukup siam, Kersem
Japanese: ナンヨウザクラ
Java: Talok
Kannada: Gasagase hannina mara, Ghas-gassey mara
Kapampangan: Sarésa, Arátilis
Khmer: ហាងក្រខុប Krâkhôb barang
Lao: ຄຸມ ຊຳຊອມ - ທາຄ໌ Khoom sômz, Takhôb
Macao: 南美假櫻桃
Madura: Kersen
Malayalam: Pancharappazham, Panjasaara pazham
Malaysia: Kerekup siam, Buah ceri
Marathi: Paanchara
Palauan: Budo, Periquito
Polish: Rozcięg
Portuguese: Calbura, Pao de seda, Calabura, Curumi, Pau de seda
Russian: Мунтингия калабура
Sinhala: දම් ගස Jam gaha
Slovak: Muntingia kalaburová
Spanish: Capulín, Chichato, Chirriador, Chitató, Guanducillo, Memiso, Nigüito, Periquito, Cereza, Memiso, Nigua, Bolaina, Pasito, Yumanaza, Cerezo caspi, Frutilla
Swahili: Mti kivuli, Mharadhali
Swedish: Panamabär
Tagalog: Aratiles, Datiles, Ratiles, Latires
Taiwan: 南美假櫻桃
Tamil: பத்து பழம் - சர்க்கரை பாலா மரம் - சீனி பல மரம் - நெய் பழம் Ten pazham, Sarkarai pala maram, Seeni pala maram, Nei pazham
Telugu: Nakkaraegu
Thai: ตะขบฝรั่ง
Vietgnam: Mât sâm, Trúng cá, Mât sâm, Quả trứng cá

Aryo Bandoro
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