Tropical Plant "Siputa"
Salacia elliptica

Characteristics - Salacia elliptica is a fniit tree not found under cultivation and rare in nature. Native to the Rio Sao Francisco Valley, the Pantanal of Mato Grosso and in the gallery forests of the Central Plateau. An evergreen tree, 4-8 m tall with a dense, low crown. Trunk is short and crooked. Leaves arc simple, coriaceous, glabrous, 8-14 cm long. Inflorescences in axillary fasicles have flowers of both sexes with yellowish-green petals, blooming in August-September. Fruits are globose or oblong drupes, containing 3-6 seeds covered with a mucilagenous, slightly sweet pulp.

Uses - Fruits are consumed in their natural state. They have a pleasant flavor but pulp is difficult to separate from seeds, so they are not widely appreciated.

Propagation - Propagated by seeds.