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Fruits & Vegetables

Ceylon Gooseberry

Botanical Name: Dovyalis hebecarpa
Family: Salicaceae
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Malpighiales
Genus: Dovyalis
Species: D. hebecarpa

Synonyms:
*Aberia gardneri Clos nom. illeg.
*Aberia hebecarpa (Gardner) Kuntze
*Rumea hebecarpa Gardner

Common Names: Ceylon gooseberry, Ketembilla, and Kitambilla, Tropical Apricot
Ethnic names :Ketembilla (America)

Name in Other Languages:
Brazil : Groselha-Do-Ceilao
Chinese : Xi-Lin-Cu, His-Lu-Ts’u-Li
Cuba : Aberia
French : Groseillier De Ceylan, Ketembillier
German : Kaffernp flaume
India : Kocu Vetti ( Tamil )
Spanish : Quetembilla
Sri Lanka : Ketembilla, Kitaembilla, Kitembilla, Kithaembilla ( Sinhala ), Kocu Vetti ( Tamil )
Maori (Cook Islands): venevene

Habitat: Ceylon Gooseberry is native to Sri Lanka and southern India. The fruit plant is also cultivated at South Africa.

Description:
Ceylon gooseberry is a shrub or small, dioecious perennial tree growing to 4–6 m high with long, slender, arching, wide-spreading branches.
The leaves are alternately arranged, simple broad lanceolate, 5–10 cm long and 1–3 cm broad, with an entire or finely toothed margin.The flowers are inconspicuous, solitary or clustered, with no petals. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants, though some female plants are parthenogenetic. The trunk and lower branches have sharp, 4 cm long spines. The fruit is an edible dark purple globose berry 2–3 cm diameter, very juicy with an acidic flavor, and containing several small seeds. The fruit is quite acidic, so it is usually not eaten fresh. The tree takes about 2-3 years to fruit. Its thin, bitter skin turns from somewhat orange to dark purple on ripening and is coated with short, grayish-green, velvety hairs, unpleasant in the mouth. The pulp is very juicy, extremely acid, and purple-red, enclosing 9 to 12 hairy seeds about 1/4 in (6 mm) long.

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Fruit:
Fruit Shape & Size: Globose, berry up to 2.5 cm diameter, velvety pubescent,
Fruit Color:Green turning to orangey brown to maroon-purple
Fruit Skin:Thin skin coated with short, grayish-green, velvety hairs, unpleasant in the mouth
Flesh Color:Purple-red
Flavor/Aroma:Acidic flavor
Taste:Slightly sweeter, sour and astringent.
Seed:9 to 12 hairy seeds about 1/4 in (6 mm) long

Cultivation: It is cultivated in warm countries as hedge plants.Cultivated hybrids of the fruit are also available.
The tree takes about 2-3 years to fruit and fruiting occurs from spring to early summer.

Propagation: It is distributed by seeds and cuttings.

Edible Uses: The fruit is an edible dark purple globose berry 2–3 cm diameter, very juicy with an acidic flavour, and containing several small seeds. The fruit is quite acidic, so it is usually not eaten fresh. It is good when mixed in drinks and nowadays it is occasionally cultivated for juice making.

Major Nutrition:
*Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 98 mg (108.89%)
*Total dietary Fiber 14.6 g (38.42%)
*Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.4 mg (30.77%)
*Iron, Fe 1.2 mg (15.00%)
*Phosphorus, P 26 mg (3.71%)
*Protein 1.2 g (2.40%)
*Total Fat (lipid) 0.8 g(2.29%)
*Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 0.3 mg (1.88%)
*Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.02 mg (1.67%)
*Calcium, Ca 13 mg (1.30%)

Other Uses: Ceylon gooseberry is often used as a barrier hedge due to the thorns on it and its vigorous growth habit.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dovyalis_hebecarpa
https://www.fruitsinfo.com/ceylon-gooseberry-tropical-fruits.php
https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/ceylon-gooseberry-facts/

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