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Tanjung (Mimusops elengi)

Dlium Tanjung (Mimusops elengi)

Tanjung (Mimusops elengi) is a plant species in the Sapotaceae family; it is a medium-sized tree reaching heights of up to 25 meters. The leaves are simple and alternate, with long stalks; young leaves are covered in brown hairs that shed quickly. The leaf blades range from ovate to oblong, measuring 9–16 cm in length, with margins that are entire yet wavy.

The flowers are small and bisexual, hanging singly or in pairs from the leaf axils; they are creamy white to pale yellow and possess a delightful, fragrant scent. The calyx is arranged in two whorls of four segments each. The corolla features a short, broad tube and is arranged in two whorls totaling 8-16 segments—the outermost of which are corolla-like appendages—colored yellowish-white. There are 8 stamens alternating with staminodes that have toothed tips.

The fruit is spindle-shaped or elongated-ovate (bullet-like), 2-3 cm long, and turns orange-red when ripe, retaining the calyx. It contains a single seed that is oblong or flattened, approximately 1 cm in size, hard, glossy, and brownish-black. The fruit is edible.

The heartwood is dark brown, while the sapwood is lighter in color, with distinct boundaries between the two. The texture is fine and uniform, with a grain that is straight, slightly wavy, or somewhat interlocked. The wood's specific gravity ranges from 0.92 to 1.12, placing it in strength class I.

The wood is easy to work with; it can be planed, drilled, mortised, and sanded with excellent results. It is dense, heavy, and hard. It is used for boat building, house posts, spear shafts, cabinets, furniture, carvings, sculptures, flooring, bridges, and railway sleepers.

The wood falls into durability class I-II; it is rated class II for resistance to wood-decaying fungi and class IV for resistance to dry-wood termites. This wood is difficult to dry successfully. It tends to warp, develop end splits, and exhibit surface checking after drying.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ericales
Family: Sapotaceae
Genus: Mimusops L. in Sp. Pl.: 349 (1753)
Species: Mimusops elengi L. in Sp. Pl.: 349 (1753)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Kaukenia elengi (L.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 406 (1891)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Diospyros longipes Hiern in J. Bot. 52: 338 (1914)
Magnolia xerophila P.Parm. in Bull. Sci. France Belgique 27: 203, 263 (1895 publ. 1896)
Imbricaria perroudii Montrouz. in Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. Lyon, Sect. Sci., sér. 2, 10: 230 (1860)
Kaukenia javensis (Burck) Kuntze (1891)
Kaukenia timorensis (Burck) Kuntze (1891)
Manilkara parvifolia (R.Br.) Dubard in Ann. Mus. Colon. Marseille, sér. 3, 3: 16 (1916)
Mimusops elengi f. longepedunculata (Bruck) H.J.Lam in Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 7: 235 (1925)
Mimusops elengi var. longepedunculata Bruck in Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg 5: 61 (1886)
Mimusops elengi var. parvifolia (R.Br.) H.J.Lam in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. 3, 7: 235 (1925)
Mimusops erythroxylon Llanos ex Fern.-Vill. in F.M.Blanco, Fl. Filip., ed. 3. 4(13A): 126 (1880)
Mimusops javensis Burck in Ann. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg 5: 63 (1885)
Mimusops latericia Elmer in Leafl. Philipp. Bot. 8: 2816 (1915)
Mimusops lucida Poir. in Encycl., Suppl. 3: 705 (1814)
Mimusops parvifolia R.Br. in Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland.: 531 (1810)
Mimusops timorensis Burck (1885)

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.

Baksh-Comeau, Y., Maharaj, S.S., Adams, C.D., Harris, S.A., Filer, D.L. & Hawthorne, W.D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Trinidad and Tobago with analysis of vegetation types and botanical 'hotspots'. Phytotaxa 250: 1-431.

Calane da Silva, M., Izdine, S. & Amuse, A.B. (2004). A Preliminary Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Mozambique: 1-184. SABONET, Pretoria.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2009). Flora of North America North of Mexico 8: 1-585. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.

Frohlich, D. & Lau, A. (2014). New plant records for the Hawaiian islands 2012-2013. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 115: 7-17.

Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Pennington, D. (2001 publ. 2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Sapotaceae: 1-364. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Jessup, L.W. (2019). A taxonomic revision of Sapotaceae for mainland Australia. Austrobaileya 10: 321-382.

Karthigeyan, K., Pandey, R.P. & Mao, A.A. (eds.) (2023). Flora of Andaman and Nicobar Islands 2: 1-689. Botanical Survey of India. Ministry of environment, forest and climate change.

Kotiya, A., Solanki, Y. & Reddy, G.V. (2020). Flora of Rajasthan: 1-769. Rajasthan state biodiversity board.

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

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.

Santisuk, T. & Balslev, H. (eds.) (2014). Flora of Thailand 11(4): 499-666. The Forest Herbarium, National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Bangkok.

Wheatley, J.I. (1992). A guide to the common trees of Vanuatu. With lists of their traditional uses & ni-Vanuatu names: 1-308. Department of Forestry, Port Vila.

VERNACULAR NAME

Aceh: Keupela cange
Bali: Tanjung, Wilaja
Bengali: বকুল Bakul
Bima: Tanju
Bugis: Tanjong
Chinese (simplified): 香榄 - 猿喜果
Chinese (traditional): 牛油果 - 香欖 - 牛油果 - 猿喜果
Czech: Opíhled skvělý
English: Tanjung, Tanjung tree, Tanjong, Spanish cherry, Medlar, Bullet wood, Bakul, Mamajen, Red Coondoo
Filipino: Bansalagin
Finnish: Intianbaulapuu
French: Coing de Chine
Gujarati: Barsoli
Hindi: बकुल - मौलसरी - मालसरी Bakul, Maulsari, Malsari
Hong Kong: 香欖 - 牛油果
Indonesian: Tanjung
Japanese: ミサキノハナ
Java: Tanjung, Sawo manuk, Karikis
Kannada: Renje mara, Pagadi mara, Baaglu mara, Ranja, Ranji, Ranje, Ranjal, Renji, Pagade, Pogada, Pogade
Konkani: Omval
Maharashtra: बकुळ
Malayalam: Bakulam, Elanchi, Elangi, Mukura, Elengi, Ilanni
Malaysia: Bunga Tanjung, Tanjong, Bunga Mengkula, Mengkulah, Mengkulang
Manipuri: Bokul lei
Marathi: Bakuli
Nepali: मौलासरी - लंकासानी - वकुल पुष्प Maulasari, Lankaasaani, Vakul Pushpa Oria: Bakul, Baula, Baulo, Bakulo Baula, Kirakuli
Russian: Мимузопс эленги
Sanskrit: Bakula
Slovak: Hlavovka opičia
Sulawesi Utara: Kahekis, Karikis, Kariskis, Rekes
Tamil: மகிழம்பூ - மகிழம் - மகிழமரம் Magizhamboo, Makizham, Magizhamaram
Telugu: Vakulamu, Pogada, Bogada, Pagada, Kesara
Thai: พิกุล
Urdu: کراکولی Kirakuli

Aryo Bandoro
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