THE BIGNAY
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Antidesma bunius
FAMILY: Euphorbiaceae
The bignay, or antidesma, is a handsome medium-size evergreen tree native to Malaya and Asia. It has dark green glossy alternate leaves that are often four to six inches in length and two to three inches wide. Trees grow well over a variety of soil types, and here in Florida they produce most of their fruit during the fall season.
Male and female flowers are borne on separate trees, but most female trees usually bear sufficient quantities of fruit without having a male tree. Seeds from these fruit, though, are generally not viable and will not germinate if planted.
Fruits on bignay are quite impressive, hanging in large grape-like clusters with up to twenty or thirty fruit per cluster in many cases. Individual fruit size, though, is only about half an inch, and at maturity fruits are a dark purplish-black with a large seed surrounded by a thin layer of edible pulp.
Antidesma is a fruit that is excellent for jellies, jams, and especially wine. Many people do not eat large quantities of them out of hand, one reason being that the fruits in the cluster ripen very unevenly, requiring the frequent picking of mature fruits to get an appreciable quantity.
The main fruiting season starts in late August and runs through the end of October. Trees grow to about forty feet in height and are generally propagated by air layers or cuttings under mist. Most bignay, once well established, are quite cold-resistant and mature trees can take down into the upper twenties without significant damage.
Trees grow well close to salt water, but should not be planted on direct exposed areas. Antidesma should be fertilised two to three times a year with a general-purpose fertiliser for good growth and fruit production.
DATE: November 1997
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
