RARE FRUIT NAMES
The first question asked by most people, when they are introduced to a fruit or vegetable they have never seen before is, "What is it called?" The answer is usually a common name of the plant and this is where the problem starts.
Each plant has one botanical name. This name is often too long or too difficult to remember to be used by most people, so common names are more often used.
There are no limits to the number of common names that a plant may have. Efforts are regularly made to try and reduce the number of common names used for each plant and occasionally institutions draw up lists of preferred common names or standard common names.
In 1984 B. Watson, W. Lewis, D. Maggs and P. Page compiled an 80-page booklet called AUSTROFRUIT I - checklist of tropical and sub-tropical crops' botanical and common names. This book is very comprehensive and valuable but not readily available.
The folowing list indicates preferred common names of many fruits (the first name in the common name list). To avoid confusion, the plant's botanical name is also listed.
| COMMON NAMES | BOTANICAL NAMES | COMMON NAMES | BOTANICAL NAMES |
| ABIU | Pouteria caimito | JAMBOLAN | Syzygium cumini |
| ACEROLA (Barbados cherry) | Malpighia glabra | JELLY PALM | Butia capitata |
| AKEE | Blighia sapida | JOJOBA | Simmondsia chinensis |
| AMBARELLA (Great hog plum, Vi apple) | Spondias dulcis | KEPEL | Stelechocarpus burahol |
| ARACA (Guisaro) | Psidium guineense | KIWIFRUIT (Kiwi fruit, Chinese gooseberry) | Actinidia chinensis |
| AVOCADO | Persea americana | KOCHIN GOROKA (Yellow mangosteen) | Garcinia xanthochymus |
| BABACO | Carica sp. | KUINI | Mangifera odorata |
| BAKUPARI | Rheedia brasiliensis | KUMQUAT (Cumquat) | Citrus sp. |
| BANANA | Musa sp. | KURANDA NUT | Elaeocarpus bancroftii |
| BAEL FRUIT | Aegle marmelos | KWAIMUK | Artocarpus hypargyreus |
| BELL FRUIT(Water apple) | Syzygium aqueum | LANGSAT | Lansium domesticum |
| BETEL NUT | Areca catechu | LEMON | Citrus limon |
| BIGNAY (Antidesma) | Antidesma bunius | LONGAN | Euphoria longan |
| BILIMBI | Averrhoa bilimbi | LOQUAT | Eriobotrya japonica |
| BIRIBA | Rollinia mucosa | LYCHEE (litchi,Litchee) | Litchi chinensis |
| BIXA | Bixa orellana | MABOLO (Velvet apple, butter fruit) | Diospyros discolor |
| BLACK PERSIMMON (Black sapote, Chocolate fruit, Choc. persimmon) | Diospyros digyna | MACADAMIA (Macadamia nut, Queensland nut) | Macadamia sp. |
| BRAZIL CHERRIES (Pitanga) | Eugenia uniflora | MADRONO | Rheedia madruno |
| BRAZIL NUT | Bertholletia excelsa | MALAY APPLE (pomerac) | Syzygium malaccense |
| BREADFRUIT | Artocarpus altilis | MAMEY SAPOTE (Mamey, Mamee, Zabotillo) | Pouteria sapota |
| BUNYA NUT(Bunya pine) | Araucaria bidwillii | MAMEYITO | Rheedia edulis |
| BURDEKIN PLUM | Pleiogynium cerasiferum | MAMMEA (Mamey, Mammey) | Mammea americana |
| CAIMITO (Cainito, Star Apple) | Chrysophyllum cainito | MAMONCILLO | Melicoccus bijugatus |
| CALAMONDIN | Citrofortunella mitis | MANGO | Mangifera indica |
| CANARI NUT | Canarium commune | MANGOSTEEN, PURPLE | Garcinia mangostana |
| CANDLE NUT | Aleurites moluccana | MAPRANG | Bouea macrophylla |
| CANISTEL(Yellow sapote, Egg fruit) | Pouteria campechiana | MARANG | Artocarpus odoratissimus |
| CARAMBOLA (Five Corner, Star fruit) | Averrhoa carambola | MATISIA (Chupa, South American sapote) | Quararibea cordata |
| CARISSA (Natal plum) | Carissa grandiflora | MIRACLE FRUIT | Synsepalum dulcificum |
| CAROB (Carob bean, St. Johns bread) | Ceratonia siliqua | MONSTERA (Monsterio) | Monstera deliciosa |
| CASHEW (Cashew nut, Cashew fruit) | Anacardium occidentale | NARANJILLA | Solanum quitoense |
| CASIMIROA (White sapote) | Casimiroa edulis | NUTMEG | Myristica fragrans |
| CHEMPEDAK (Champadek, cempedak) | Artocarpus polyphema | OKARI NUT | Terminalia kaernbachii |
| CHERIMOYA(Cherimoyer) | Annona cherimola | OYSTER NUT | Telfairia pedata |
| CHERMAI (Star gooseberry) | Phyllanthus acidus | PANAMA BERRY | Muntingia calabura |
| CHINESE JUJUBE | Zizyphus jujuba | PANDAN | Pandanus odorus |
| CITRANGE | Citroncirus webberi | PAPAYA (papaws, pawpaw, Paw paw | Carica papaya |
| COCOA (Cacao) | Theobroma cacao | PASSIONFRUIT | Passiflora sp. |
| COCO-DE-MER | Lodoicea maldivica | PEJIBAYE | Bactris gasipaes |
| COCONA | Solanum sessiliflorum | PERSIMMON (Fujifruit, non-astringent only, Japanese persimmon) | Diospyros digyna |
| COCO PLUM | Chrysobalanus icaco | PILI NUT | Canarium ovatum |
| COCONUT | Cocos nucifera | PITAYA (Yellow pitaya/purple pitaya | Hylocereus sp. |
| COFFEE, Arabica coffee | Coffea arabica | PLANTAIN | Musa spp. |
| CUSTARD APPLES (Atemoya) | Annona sp. | PULASAN | Nephelium mutabile |
| DATES (Date palm) | Phoenix dactylifera | PURPLE MOMBIN | Spondias purpurea |
| DAVIDSON PLUM | Davidsonia pruriens | POMEGRANATE (Pommegranate) | Punica granatum |
| DILLENIA (Elephant apple) | Dillenia indica | POND APPLE | Annona glabra |
| DOVYALIS (Ceylon gooseberry, kitembilla) | Dovyalis hebecarpa | PUMMELO | Citrus maxima |
| DUKU | Lansium domesticum | RAMBUTAN | Nephelium lappaceum |
| DURIAN | Durio zibethinus | ROLLlNIA | Rollinia deliciosa |
| FEIJOA (Pineapple guava) | Feijoa sellowiana | ROSEAPPLE | Syzygium jambos |
| FIGS | Ficus carica | SALAK | Salacca edulis |
| FIJI LONGAN (Taun, dawa) | Pometia pinnata | SANTOL (Sentul) | Sandoricum koetjape |
| GALIP NUT | Canarium mehenbethene | SAPODILLA (Chicosapote, Chico) | Manilkara zapota |
| GRANADILLA(Grandadilla) | Passiflora quadrangularis | SEAGRAPE | Coccoloba uvifera |
| GRAPEFRUIT (pomelo) | Citrus sp. | SEEDED BREADFRUIT (Breadnut) | Artocarpus altilis |
| GREEN SAPOTE | Pouteria viridis | SONCOYA | Annona purpurea |
| GRUMICHAMA (Brazil cherry) | Eugenia brasiliensis | SWEETSOP (Sugar apple, Squamosa) | Annona squamosa |
| GUAMO (Inga bean) | Inga spp. | TAHITI LIME (Persian lime) | Citrus latifolia |
| GUANABANA (Soursops) | Annona muricata | TAMARIND | Tamarindus indica |
| GUAVA | Psidium guajava | UVILLA (Amazon tree grape) | Pourouma cecropiaefolia |
| ILAMA | Annona diversifolia | VANILLA | Vanilla planifolia |
| INDIAN ALMOND | Terminalia sp. | WAMPEE (Wampi) | Clausena lansium |
| INDIAN FIG (Prickly pears, tuna, cactus fruit) | Opuntia ficus-indica | WAX JAMBU | Syzygium samarangense |
| INDIAN JUJUBE | Zizyphus mauritia | WEST INDIAN LIME (Mexican lime) | Citrus aurantifolia |
| JABOTICABA | Myrciaria cauliflora | WOOD APPLE | Feronia limonia |
| JACKFRUIT (Jak fruit) | Artocarpus heterophyllus | YELLOW MOMBIN (Hog plum) | Spondias mombin |
DATE: July 1989
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