Antidesma



Antidesma is a genus of tropical plant in the family Phyllanthaceae formally described by Linnaeus in 1753. It is native to tropical Africa, S + E + SE Asia, Australia, and various oceanic islands. The greatest diversity occurs in Southeast Asia.

Description
Antidesma is a variable genus which may be short and shrubby or tall and erect, approaching 30 metres in height. It has large oval shaped leathery evergreen leaves up to about 20 centimetres long and seven wide. The flowers have a strong, somewhat unpleasant scent. The staminate flowers are arranged in small bunches and the pistillate flowers grow on long racemes which will become the long strands of fruit. The fruits are spherical and just under a centimeter wide, hanging singly or paired in long, heavy bunches. They are white when immature and gradually turn red, then black. When they are still white they have sour and astringent taste, sour taste when they are red and have sweet and sour taste when they are black.

The evergreen (sometimes deciduous) simple leaves have fine hairs and show no glands. They grow in an alternate arrangement, with entire, symmetrical blades. They are connected to the stem with a petiole (leaf stalk) and stipules (appendage at the base of a leaf stalk).

The flowers grow in a raceme, with 1 bract per flower, on a short pedicel (tiny stalk, supporting a single flower). Their color is light yellowish green, but may turn red when mature. These plants are dioecious, i.e. unisexual, with male and female flowers on separate plants. There are 3 to 8 fused sepals, but no petals. The male flowers have 2 to 8 stamens, but no pistils. The female flowers have 2 to 6 stigmas. They have a 1-locular ovary with 2 ovules.

The globose to ellipsoid fruits resemble a drupe. Their color varies from green to white, red and black. The fleshy and juicy fruits are edible with a sour to bitter sweet taste. Some individuals find Antidesma bunius berries to have a bitter taste. Those who detect this bitter taste (about 15% of subjects tested) cannot taste PTC, and similarly those who can taste PTC (about 68% of the subjects) cannot taste any bitterness in Antidesma bunius, while a minority of people cannot taste bitterness in either.

Species
There are 101 accepted species in the genus, as of May 2021. They are: {{Columns-list|colwidth=30em| }}
 * Antidesma acidum {{small|Retz.}} - Indian Subcontinent, SE Asia, Java, S China
 * Antidesma alexiteria {{small|L.}} - S India, Sri Lanka
 * Antidesma ambiguum {{small|Pax & K.Hoffm.}} - Yunnan, Vietnam
 * Antidesma annamense Gagnep.- Vietnam
 * Antidesma baccatum Airy Shaw - New Guinea, Maluku
 * Antidesma bhargavae {{small|Chakrab. & N.P.Balakr.}} - Andaman & Nicobar
 * Antidesma brachybotrys Airy Shaw - Malaysia, Borneo
 * Antidesma brevipes {{small|Petra Hoffm.}} - Sulawesi
 * Antidesma bunius {{small|(L.) Spreng.}} - Queensland, Christmas I, New Guinea, SE Asia, Indian Sub., China
 * Antidesma catanduanense Merr. - Catanduanes
 * Antidesma celebicum {{small|Miq.}} - Sulawesi, Timor, Maluku
 * Antidesma chalaranthum Airy Shaw - Papua New Guinea
 * Antidesma chonmon Gagnep. - Yunnan, Vietnam
 * Antidesma cochinchinense Gagnep. - Cambodia, S Vietnam
 * Antidesma comptum Tul. - Tamil Nadu
 * Antidesma concinnum Airy Shaw - Papua New Guinea
 * Antidesma contractum J.J.Sm. - New Guinea
 * Antidesma coriaceum Tul. - Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Nicobar Is
 * Antidesma costulatum {{small|Pax & K.Hoffm.}} - Sichuan, Yunnan
 * Antidesma cruciforme {{small|Gage}} - Peninsular Malaysia
 * Antidesma curranii Merr. - Philippines
 * Antidesma cuspidatum Müll.Arg. - Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra
 * Antidesma dallachyanum {{small|Baill.}} - Queensland
 * Antidesma digitaliforme Tul. - Philippines
 * Antidesma eberhardtii Gagnep. - Laos, Vietnam
 * Antidesma edule Merr. - Philippines
 * Antidesma elassophyllum A.C.Sm. - Viti Levu, Vanua Levu
 * Antidesma elbertii {{small|Petra Hoffm.}} - Maluku, Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Is
 * Antidesma erostre {{small|F.Muell.}} - New Guinea, Queensland
 * Antidesma excavatum {{small|Miq.}} - Borneo, Sulawesi, Maluku, Philippines, Papuasia, Micronesia
 * Antidesma ferrugineum {{small|Airy Shaw}} - Papua New Guinea
 * Antidesma forbesii {{small|Pax & K.Hoffm.}} - S Thailand, W Malaysia, Sumatra
 * Antidesma fordii {{small|Hemsl.}} - Laos, Vietnam, S China
 * Antidesma fruticosum {{small|(Lour.) Müll.Arg.}} - Vietnam
 * Antidesma fruticulosum {{small|Kurz}} - Myanmar
 * Antidesma ghaesembilla {{small|Gaertn.}} - S China, S + SE Asia, Papuasia, N Australia
 * Antidesma gillespieanum A.C.Sm. - Fiji
 * Antidesma hainanense Merr. - Laos, Vietnam, S China
 * Antidesma helferi {{small|Hook.f.}} - S Myanmar, S Thailand, W Malaysia, N Sumatra
 * Antidesma heterophyllum Blume - Java, Lesser Sunda Is, Sulawesi, Maluku
 * Antidesma insulare {{small|Gillespie}} - Viti Levu
 * Antidesma japonicum {{small|Siebold & Zucc.}} - China, Japan, SE Asia, Philippines, Peninsular Malaysia
 * Antidesma jayasuriyae {{small|Chakrab. & M.Gangop.}} - Sri Lanka
 * Antidesma jucundum {{small|Airy Shaw}} - Papua New Guinea
 * Antidesma × kapuae {{small|Rock}} - South Kona
 * Antidesma keralense {{small|Chakrab. & M.Gangop.}} - Kerala
 * Antidesma khasianum {{small|Hook.f.}} - Meghalaya
 * Antidesma kunstleri {{small|Gage}} - Perak
 * Antidesma laciniatum Müll.Arg. - W + C + E Africa
 * Antidesma laurifolium {{small|Airy Shaw}} - Thailand, Cambodia, Johor
 * Antidesma leucocladon {{small|Hook.f.}} - S Thailand, W Malaysia, Sumatra
 * Antidesma leucopodum {{small|Miq.}} - S Thailand, W Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Philippines
 * Antidesma macgregorii {{small|C.B.Rob.}} - Philippines
 * Antidesma maclurei {{small|Merr.}} - Hainan, Vietnam
 * Antidesma madagascariense {{small|Lam.}} - Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, Réunion
 * Antidesma membranaceum {{small|Müll.Arg.}} - tropical + southern Africa
 * Antidesma messianianum {{small|Guillaumin}} - New Caledonia
 * Antidesma microcarpum Elmer - Philippines
 * Antidesma minus Blume - Sumatra, W. Java
 * Antidesma montanum Blume - China, S + SE Asia, New Guinea, Queensland
 * Antidesma montis-silam {{small|Airy Shaw}} - Sabah
 * Antidesma myriocarpum {{small|Airy Shaw}} - New Guinea
 * Antidesma neurocarpum {{small|Miq.}} - S Thailand, W Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra
 * Antidesma nienkui {{small|Merr. & Chun}} - Guangdong, Hainan, N Thailand
 * Antidesma nigricans Tul. Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Myanmar
 * Antidesma oblongum {{small|(Hutch.) Keay}} - Liberia, Ivory Coast
 * Antidesma orthogyne {{small|(Hook.f.) Airy Shaw}} - S Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia
 * Antidesma pachybotryum {{small|Pax & K.Hoffm.}} - Cameroon
 * Antidesma pachystachys {{small|Hook.f.}} - Peninsular Malaysia
 * Antidesma pacificum {{small|Müll.Arg.}} - Vanua Levu, Moala
 * Antidesma pahangense {{small|Airy Shaw}} - Peninsular Malaysia
 * Antidesma parvifolium {{small|F.Muell.}} - Queensland, Northern Territory
 * Antidesma pendulum {{small|Hook.f.}} - S Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sumatra
 * Antidesma petiolatum {{small|Airy Shaw}} - New Guinea
 * Antidesma phanrangense {{small|Gagnep.}} - Vietnam
 * Antidesma platyphyllum {{small|H.Mann}} - Hawaii
 * Antidesma pleuricum {{small|Tul.}} - Taiwan, Philippines
 * Antidesma poilanei {{small|Gagnep.}} - S Vietnam
 * Antidesma polystylum {{small|Airy Shaw}} - Borneo
 * Antidesma pulvinatum {{small|Hillebr.}} - Hawaii
 * Antidesma puncticulatum {{small|Miq.}} - Sri Lanka, Andaman Is, SE Asia, Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra
 * Antidesma pyrifolium {{small|Müll.Arg.}} - Sri Lanka
 * Antidesma rhynchophyllum {{small|K.Schum.}} - New Guinea
 * Antidesma riparium {{small|Airy Shaw}} - Borneo, Sulawesi, Philippines, New Guinea
 * Antidesma roxburghii {{small|Wall. ex Tul.}}} - Arunachal Pradesh to Myanmar
 * Antidesma rufescens {{small|Tul.}} - tropical Africa
 * Antidesma sinuatum Benth. - Queensland
 * Antidesma sootepense Craib - Thailand, Yunnan, Laos, Cambodia
 * Antidesma spatulifolium {{small|Airy Shaw}} - New Guinea, Tanimbar
 * Antidesma stipulare Blume - Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
 * Antidesma subbicolor {{small|Gagnep.}} - Vietnam
 * Antidesma subcordatum {{small|Merr.}} - Philippines, Lesser Sunda Is
 * Antidesma tetrandrum Blume - Andaman & Nicobar, Bali, Java, Sumatra
 * Antidesma tomentosum Blume - Nicobar Is, S Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia
 * Antidesma tonkinense {{small|Gagnep.}} - N Vietnam
 * Antidesma trichophyllum {{small|A.C.Sm.}} - Viti Levu
 * Antidesma vaccinioides {{small|Airy Shaw}} - Papua New Guinea
 * Antidesma velutinosum Blume - E Himalayas, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, W Indonesia
 * Antidesma velutinum {{small|Tul.}} - Bangladesh, Andaman Is, SE Asia
 * Antidesma venenosum J.J.Sm. - Borneo
 * Antidesma venosum E.Mey. ex Tul. - Africa, China, SE Asia
 * Antidesma vogelianum {{small|Müll.Arg.}} - tropical Africa

The following taxa have been revised:
 * Antidesma obliquinervium {{small|Merr.}}, now synonym for Antidesma montanum var. montanum
 * Antidesma pentandrum (Blanco) Merr., now synonym for Antidesma montanum var. montanum
 * Antidesma subolivaceum Elmer, now synonym for Antidesma tomentosum var. tomentosum