Aratiles

Muntingia calabura Linn.

CHERRY TREE

Botany
Aratiles is a fast growing tree, 5 to 10 meters high, with spreading branches.
Leaves are hairy, sticky, alternate, distichous, oblong-ovate to broadly oblong-
lanceolate, 8 to 13 centimeters long, with toothed margins, pointed apex and
inequilateral base, one side rounded and the other acute. Flowers are about 2
centimeters in diameter, white, extra-axillary, solitary or in pairs. Sepals are 5,
green, reflexed, lanceolate, about 1 centimeter long. Petals are white,
obovate, 1 centimeter long, deciduous and spreading. Fruit is a berry,
rounded, about 1.5 centimeter in diameter, red on ripening, smooth, fleshy,
sweet and many seeded.

Distribution
- Naturalized, widely distributed, growing in and about towns.
- Introduced from tropical America.
- Also reported in Thailand and Java.

Properties
- Antispasmodic and emollient.
- Studies have shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, analgesic,
cytotoxic, hepatoprotective, gastroprotective, cardioprotective, antibacterial,
antiulcer, insecticidal, tyrosinase-inhibitory and antifungal properties.

Parts utilized
Bark, leaves and flowers.

Uses
Edibility
- The ripe fruit is very popular among Filipino children.
- Fruits processed into jam; leaves used for making tea.
Folkloric
- Flowers are antispasmodic. Decoction of flowers for abdominal cramps.
- Decoction used as emollient.
- Flowers used as antiseptic and to treat spasms.
- Leaves used as antiseptics or antipruritic; also, to treat abdominal cram
- Also used to relieve colds and headaches.
- In the Antiles, used as antispasmodic.
- In Martinique, bark decoction is mucilaginous and used as emollient.
- In Peru, leaves used for treatment of gastric ulcers and to reduce prostate
gland swelling.
Others
- Bark used for making rope.
- Wood is compact, fine-grained, moderately strong and light in weight and
durable, used for carpentry work.
- Fast growing tree that makes for a favorable shade tree.

SOURCE :
STUART X CHANCE : PHILIPPINE MEDICINAL PLANTS
LINK:
http://www.stuartxchange.org/Aratiles.html
 Characteristics of the Species Muntingia
calabura L.
2.1- Description
+ The plants
Jamaica cherry (also called Aratiles) is a fast growing tree, 5 to
10 meters high, with spreading branches.
+ The leaves
Leaves are hairy, sticky, alternate, distichous, oblong-ovate to
broadly oblong-lanceolate, 8 to 13 centimeters long, with toothed
margins, pointed apex and inequilateral base, one side rounded and the
other acute.
+ The flowers
Flowers are about 2 centimeters in diameter, white, extra-
axillary, solitary or in pairs. Sepals are 5, green, reflexed, lanceolate,
about 1 centimeter long. Petals are white, obovate, 1 centimeter long,
deciduous and spreading.
+ The fruits
Fruit is a berry, rounded, about 1.5 centimeter in diameter, red
on ripening, smooth, fleshy, sweet and many seeded.
The fruit is edible, sweet, and juicy, and contains a large
number of tiny yellow seeds.
+ The seeds
The fruit contains a large number of tiny (0.5-mm)
yellow seeds.
2.2- Origin and Distribution
+ Origin
Jamaica cherry (Muntingia calabura) is native to southern Mexico,
the Caribbean, Central America, and western South America south
to Peru and Bolivia.
 + Distribution
Jamaica cherry or Kerson trees (Muntingia calabura) grows in
Mexico, the Caribbean, Asia, Indonesia, South America, Japan,
Philippines, China, India, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic and many
other places. It’s also known in the states as Strawberry Tree, Panama
berry, Jamaican cherry, Bajelly tree and Singapore cherry…
It turns cherry plant can not only be found in Indonesia, but also
in other countries like the United Kingdom, Costa Rica, Cambodia,
Vietnam, Thailand, Mexico, and India.

2.3- The Biological characteristics of cherry tree

+ Habitat
In the Philippines, the trees are commonly visited by different
species of birds. It also attracts bats and nocturnal animals that feasts
on the sweet juice of the fruit. This aides for the fast widespread
propagation of the muntingia in the Philippine forests which sometimes
overpopulate an area in just a couple of years. With just enough sun
and water, it grows with little or no care. This is apparent in the island
of Maldives, where Muntingia, locally known as jeymu grows without
any care in very salty sand. The Malaysian common name ceri
kampung means "village cherry".
In Malaysia the muntingia tree is found in many urban areas lining
the sides of streets in front of rows of houses. There,
the Muntingia produces great quantities of fruit.
It is a pioneer species that thrives in poor soil, able to tolerate
acidic and alkaline conditions and drought. Its seeds are dispersed by
birds and fruit bats. It is cultivated for its edible fruit, and has
become naturalised in some other parts of the tropics, including
southeastern Asia. As a pioneer plant, it could help condition the soil
and make it habitable to other plants. However, it might also be
considered as an invasive species since it might outcompete indigenous
plants.
+ Growing
Aratilis or Muntingia calabura grows only in few regions of the
world. It can be easily grown and found in South and Central America
and few parts of Caribbean. The interesting part about this fruit is that
it has several names depending on the countries where it’s grown. You
might’ve had the great experience of trying it and you wouldn’t know
about it. It is known as Jamaica cherry, Singapore cherry, Panama berry,
manzanitas or many more.
This is a fast-growing fruit tree, 2 years to be a 3-m tree. After
the flowers are pollinated, the berries are fast-growing. Once they
ripen, the flowers start to bloom again. After one crop of berries is
harvested, the plant continues to flower and produce fruit. The fruit
tree will grow for many years.

SOURCE :
THE WORLD WIDE FRUITS

LINKS:
https://www.worldwidefruits.com/muntingia-calabura-jamaica-cherry.html