2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Ketembilla (lat. Dovyalis hebecarpa) Is a fast-growing fruit tree belonging to the Willow family. Popularly, this culture, which is a close relative of the kaffir plum, is called the Ceylon gooseberry.
Description
Ketembilla is a small, fast-growing, deciduous tree, the height of which ranges from four and a half to six meters. The branches of this culture are densely covered with sharp thorns - their length can reach four centimeters. Most of the thorns can be seen on the lower branches and on the trunks.
The small velvety and oval leaves of ketembilla are painted in grayish-greenish tones and are endowed with pale pink petioles. And in length they reach from seven to ten centimeters.
The diameter of the petal greenish-yellow flowers is about 1.25 cm. Ketembilla is a monoecious tree pollinated only by insects. As for the diameter of the spherical ketembilla fruits, it can vary from 1.25 to 2.5 centimeters. All fruits are covered with a velvety and rather tough thin skin, and their color range can vary from orange (if the fruit is not ripe) to dark purple tones. The purple-red and incredibly juicy pulp of the fruit has a sour taste and contains from nine to twelve seeds about six millimeters long.
The average life span of each fruit tree is about seventy years.
Where grows
Sri Lanka is considered the birthplace of ketembilla - there this culture can be found at an altitude of about eight hundred meters above sea level. It is currently introduced and grown in the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and South Florida.
Application
Most often, ketembilla fruits are used to make jams and jellies. True, it is perfectly acceptable to use them fresh (ideally with sugar). Ketembilla fragrant juice is often added to ice cream and some other fruit juices, and is also used in the manufacture of various cocktails and in the confectionery industry. And they make excellent sauces, salad dressings and marinades from these fruits.
The unripe fruits of ketembilla are very rich in pectin - in this regard, they are widely used to obtain marmalade. In addition, unripe fruits can be used to make jam and make wonderful jams. And if you ferment these fruits, you can get a great wine.
Ketembilla is an excellent general tonic. It will be very useful for anemia and during breastfeeding. In addition, it is an excellent tool for rehabilitation in the postoperative period.
And in the gardening economy, ketembilla is widely used to create incredibly picturesque hedges.
Ketembilla can be stored at room temperature for no more than two days. And if you put it in a cool enough place, it will easily be preserved for one and a half to two weeks.
Contraindications
As such, contraindications to the use of ketembilla have not been established, however, sometimes allergic reactions are not excluded due to individual intolerance.
Growing
Ketembilla grows best in light and well-drained nutrient soils. Sandy soils are especially good for its cultivation. This plant is very light-requiring and needs abundant moisture - especially for the fruiting stage.
Ketembilla propagates by cuttings or seeds. In tropical conditions, the fruit is often harvested twice a year, and in the subtropics ketembilla bears fruit from spring to early summer. In Israel, fruits ripen from winter to spring.
