Damson

Description

Terminalia microcarpa is a tree species in the family Combretaceae. It occurs throughout the Philippines, in parts of Malaysia and Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi, Borneo, Timor, and the Maluku Islands), Papua New Guinea, possibly the Bismarck Archipelago, and northern Australia. It is cultivated on a small scale in the Philippines, where the edible sweet and tart plum-like fruits are eaten as is or are traditionally made into jams, jellies, and wines. The species was formally described in 1834 by French botanist Joseph Decaisne. In the Australian Plant Census, Terminalia sericocarpa F.Muell. is regarded as a synonym of this species. Common names in Australia include bandicoot, sovereignwood, damson and damson plum. It is known as kalumpit in the Philippines. The tree typically grows to a height of 12 to 30 metres (39 to 98 ft) in height and is deciduous. It blooms between September and October producing cream flowers. It is found around springs and creeks and in rocky creek beds in the Kimberley region of Western Australia and extending across the top end of the Northern Territory and tropical areas of Queensland growing in sandy-loam-clay soils. Terminalia is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising nearly 300 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. The genus name derives from the Latin word terminus, referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots.