Keledang (Bud) Fruit Plant

Keledang is a fruit from South East Asia. It is found in Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Bangka, Lingga and Riau Islands, and Borneo. Keledant trees are not abundant. However these are quite commonly found in lowland tropical rain forests and hills up to a height of 600 m altitude.

It is a medium-sized to fairly large evergreen tree up to 36 m tall. The bole is straight and branchless for up to 25 m, up to 85 cm in diameter, with short buttresses. It is fairly common in evergreen lowland or hill forests, in a range between 600 to 1,100 m of altitude. Keledang trees grow wild on soils ranging from sandy to clay. These, however, seem to prefer a deep, well-drained soil. Young plants need some shade, but need increasing light levels as they mature.

Keledang benefits:

• The fruits are edible. The pulp is separated from seeds and eaten like jackfruits. These are sweet and taste like a mix of ripe jackfruit and mangosteen. The fruits are also offered for sale in local markets.
• Keledang is more important as timber plant than as a fruit tree.
• The wood is heavy(density at 15% moisture content between 510-855 kg/m3) and is used for heavy construction, furniture, boat building, home appliances, coffins, and others.
• This plant also produces dyes.