Willughbeia sarawacensis
Encyclopedia
Willughbeia sarawacensis, commonly known as kubal or kubal madu, is a tropical fruit and vine native to Borneo
. The Kubal fruit
is the shape, size and color of a grapefruit with a thin melon-like rind, and has a concentrated yet excellent taste, comparable to mango, soursop, and pineapple combined. At the government experiment station near Kuching
, Sarawak
they are grown on elevated platforms and said to start producing in less than two years.
In northern Borneo there are at least three edible species of Willughbeia
known to the natives, which grow on spineless vines up to the size of a man's arm. They climb by tendrils as shown. They are not easily marketed because of the difficulty in harvesting the ripe fruits in the forest canopy. Limited tests in the American tropics show susceptibility to fungus diseases and slower growth. Willughbeia edulis
is a relative and commonly consumed fruit in Cambodia, as well eaten in India, Myanmar, Vietnam and parts of Thailand.
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
. The Kubal fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is the shape, size and color of a grapefruit with a thin melon-like rind, and has a concentrated yet excellent taste, comparable to mango, soursop, and pineapple combined. At the government experiment station near Kuching
Kuching
Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....
, Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
they are grown on elevated platforms and said to start producing in less than two years.
In northern Borneo there are at least three edible species of Willughbeia
Willughbeia
Willughbeia is a genus of plant in the family Apocynaceae, many of which are eaten as fruit in Asian countries. Many are vines with sticky latex.-Selected species:* W. angustifolia Markgr.* W. anomala Markgr....
known to the natives, which grow on spineless vines up to the size of a man's arm. They climb by tendrils as shown. They are not easily marketed because of the difficulty in harvesting the ripe fruits in the forest canopy. Limited tests in the American tropics show susceptibility to fungus diseases and slower growth. Willughbeia edulis
Willughbeia edulis
Willughbeia edulis aka Willughbeia cochinchinensis is a tropical fruit of the genus Willughbeia. It is a yellow sour edible fruit...
is a relative and commonly consumed fruit in Cambodia, as well eaten in India, Myanmar, Vietnam and parts of Thailand.