Gandaria (Bouea macrophylla)

Gandaria (Bouea macrophylla) is a plant species in the Anacardiaceae family. It is a medium-to-large tree, reaching 20–27 meters in height with a trunk diameter of 55 cm. It features a dense, lush crown—conical or rounded in shape—with often-pendulous, hairless, and quadrangular or flattened twigs. The bark is light brown or brownish-gray with fine fissures; when injured, it exudes a thick, dark-gray sap that gradually turns black.

B. macrophylla has simple, leathery (coriaceous) leaves arranged in opposite pairs, each with a petiole. The leaves are elliptic, oblong-ovate, or lanceolate, measuring 10–30 cm in length and 4–8 cm in width. They have acute to acuminate tips and cuneate (wedge-shaped) bases, with smooth, hairless surfaces. Young leaves are a dark, yellowish-purple, maturing into a glossy, dark green.

The inflorescence is a branched panicle, emerging from the leaf axils or from older twigs behind the leaves, reaching 4.5–13 cm in length. The flowers are either bisexual or staminate (male only); they are very small, with parts typically arranged in multiples of four. The petals are yellowish-green or bright yellow upon opening, quickly turning brown thereafter.

The fruit is a drupe, somewhat rounded, with a diameter of 3.5–5 cm. It has a smooth, thin skin—pale green when young, and bright yellow to orange when ripe. The flesh is juicy and finely fibrous, possessing a distinct, mild turpentine-like aroma, with a flavor ranging from very sour to sweet. It contains a single fibrous seed, which is purple or bright red on the inside.

This species thrives in humid tropical regions with loose, light, and fertile soil. It is commonly found in primary and secondary lowland rainforests at elevations ranging from 0 to 300 meters.

The young leaves are consumed as a vegetable, typically served raw as lalap (a traditional side dish of fresh greens). The ripe fruit is juicy with a sweet-and-sour flavor and can be eaten and juice immediately after being picked from the tree. Unripe fruit is used to make sambal (chili condiment) or rujak (spicy fruit salad), eaten on its own, or served as a lalap (fresh side dish/raw vegetable accompaniment). The wood is used to craft keris (traditional dagger) sheaths, while the leaves are used for medicinal purposes.

TAXON

Kingdom Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Subfamily: Anacardioideae
Genus: Bouea Meisn. in Pl. Vasc. Gen. 1: 75 (1837)
Species: Bouea macrophylla Griff. in Account Bot. Coll. Cantor: 15 (1841)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Bouea gandaria Blume in Mus. Bot. 1: 204 (1850)
Tropidopetalum javanicum Turcz. in Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 32(I): 265 (1859)

PUBLICATIONS

Chayamarit, K. (2010). Flora of Thailand 10(3): 265-329. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

Govaerts, R. (1996). World Checklist of Seed Plants 2(1, 2): 1-492. MIM, Deurne.

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

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.

Turner, I.M. (1995). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(1): 1-346.

van Steenis, C.G.G.J. (ed.) (1974-1978). Flora Malesiana 8: 1-577. Noordhoff-Kolff N.V., Djakarta.

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (simplified): 枇杷杧果
Chinese (simplified): 枇杷芒
Dutch: Gandaria
English: Gandaria, Burmese plum, Marian plum, Plum mango, Mango plum, Maprang
Indonesia: Gandaria
Japanese: アカタネノキ
Java: Gandaria
Madura: Pao gandari
Malaysia: Kundangan, Kundang, Kundang daun besar, Gandaria, Setar, Gandariah, Gondongan, Kondongan, Rembunia, Remenia, Rumia
Russian: Гандария - Марианская слива - Буэа крупнолистная
Slovak: Buea ovocná
Thai: มะปราง

Aryo Bandoro
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