Western Australia Department of Agriculture (AgWest) Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW) Global Compendium of Weeds
Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae)


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(hints)


Presented here is summary information about the species Spondias purpurea from the Global Compendium of Weeds, and citations of references to this species as a weed. Definitions of terms are available in the GCW introduction View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format. For further information--or to report corrections or concerns--contact webmaster@hear.org.


Synonyms/other Latin names:see GRIN ]

Status(es) (compiled for below "Data sources"): cultivation escape, environmental weed, naturalised, weed [for definitions, see the GCW introduction View info about Adobe Acrobat PDF format.]

Origin (native to where): [no info]



Data sources:

(2-4 cm) long; oblique toward the base and faintly toothed toward the apex. The tiny, 4- to 5-petalled flowers, male, female and bisexual, are red or purple and borne in short, hairy panicles along the branches before the leaves appear. Somewhat plumlike, the fruits, borne singly or in groups of 2 or 3, may be purple, dark-or bright-red, orange, yellow, or red-and-yellow. They vary from 1 to 2 in (2.5-5 cm) in length and may be oblong, oval, obovoid or pear-shaped, with small indentations and often a knob at the apex. The skin is glossy and firm; the flesh aromatic, yellow, fibrous, very juicy, with a rich, plum-like, subacid to acid flavor, sometimes a trifle turpentiney; and it adheres to the rough, fibrous, hard, oblong, knobby, thick, pale stone, which is 1/2 to 3/4 in (1.25-2 cm) long and contains up to 5 small seeds. The purple mombin is native from southern Mexico through northern Peru and Brazil, particularly in and zones. Spanish explorers carried this species to the Philippines, where it has been widely adopted. The tree is naturalized throughout much of Nigeria and occasionally cultivated for its fruit. It has been infrequently planted in southern Florida, mainly as a curiosity. The tree is tropical, ranging from sea-level to 5,500 or 6,000 ft (1,700-1,800 m) in Mexico and Central America; to 2,500 ft (760 m) in Jamaica, in either dry or humid regions. It flowers but does not fruit in Israel; is cold-sensitive in Florida.  It is grown very easily and quickly by setting large cuttings upright in the ground. It is one of the trees most used to create "living fences". It grows very slowly from seed.  There are flowers and fruits of the red form nearly all year in Jamaica, but mainly in July and August, while the yellow variant fruits only from September to November. In the Bahamas, the fruiting season of the red type is brief, just May and June; the yellow ripens from August to early October. In Mexico, the fruits are regarded as diuretic and antispasmodic. The fruit decoction is used to bathe wounds and heal sores in the mouth. A sirup prepared from the fruit is taken to overcome chronic diarrhea. The astringent bark decoction is a remedy for mange, ulcers, dysentery and for bloating caused by intestinal gas in infants. In the Philippines, the sap of the bark is used to treat stomatitis in infants.  The juice of the fresh leaves is a remedy for thrush. A decoction of the leaves and bark is employed as a febrifuge. In southwestern Nigeria, an infusion of shredded leaves is valued for washing cuts, sores and burns. Researchers at the University of Ife have found that an aqueous extract of the leaves has antibacterial action, and an alcoholic extract is even more effective. The gum-resin of the tree is blended with pineapple or soursop juice for treating jaundice. Most of the other uses indicate that the fruits, leaves and bark are fairly rich in tannin. (naturalised)

A Draft list of Species Reported Alien to the Caribbean. This table presents provisional information on the distribution of species reported alien in the Caribbean. The list is drawn from a work in progress database that aims to collate more detailed information on the occurrence and impact of all species known to occur as aliens in the region. The species listed are those reported to be established in the wild in marine; freshwater or terrestrial habitats. Some of the species on the list are regarded as invasive (spreading) in at least one Caribbean territory. As a working document; it is anticipated that this list will contain some omissions and errors. In particular; it is expected that the distributions of many species will be incomplete. The intention therefore is to provide a list for discussion; aiding workshop participants to contribute to and; where necessary; correct information on the occurrence and impact of alien species in the region. CABIBioscience (naturalised)

Faith T. Campbell; American Lands Alliance; weeds (environmental weed)

Germplasm Resources Information Network G.R.I.N. GRIN (naturalised)

Introduced (Alien) Species Checklist: Biodiversity & Environmental Resource Data System of Belize. [This list may be incomplete as all known data has not yet been entered into the system. Note: This is a species checklist for the entire country. It may or may not display actual specimens within the BERDS database. [ i ] icon links to Species Profiles. X's in green under the districts section link to specimen data for that district. Click the [map] link in the Table header to view a map of the districts. This checklist is automatically revised as new specimen data are added to BERDS.] (naturalised)

Introduced (Naturalised) Flora of Ecuador: Catalogs on Web site of owners: http://www.ambiente.gov.ec/AMBIENTE/i3n2000 I3N.htm (If this link is broken, try www.ambiente.gov.ec, then access the data by clicking on "Ecuador Megadiverso" link at the top, then on "Biodiversidad del Ecuador" on the right, then on ""I3N"" on the left.) (naturalised) [ online info ]

Introduced (Naturalised) Species to the United States [USDA, NRCS 1999. The PLANTS database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. ] (naturalised)

Introduced plants in Galapagos. Introduced Species Registered in the Charles Darwin Research Station Herbarium as present in Galapagos (616 species, not including questionably native species), November 2004. (naturalised)

Liogier, H.A. (2000). Flora of Puerto Rico and Adjacent Islands. A Systematic Synopsis. (2nd Edition). Universidad de Puerto Rico (cultivation escape, weed)

Western Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (WAQIS) Quarantine Weed




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This page was created on 13 September 2007 by PT, and was last updated on 04 October 2007 by PT based on data from Rod Randall's Global Compendium of Weeds database dated 24 January 2007. Valid HTML 4.01!