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2015, February 6.  Popular Fruits of the Philippines (Definitives)

Litho Offset, Amstar Company, Inc.,  Perf 13.5

Singles, Sheets of  100

  5p  Papaya (Carica papaya) - Singles   (5,250,000)

20p  Santol  (Sandoricum koetjape) - Singles  (1,250,000)

25p  Atis (Custard Apple)  (Annona aquamosa) - Singles   (1,500,000)

 

 

First Day Covers:  Manila

  

         

 

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Popular Fruits of the Philippines

5p Papaya (carica papaya).  Papaya is a small, erect,, usually unbranched, fast-growing tree growing 3 to 6 meters high. Trunk is soft and grayish, marked with large petiole-scars. Leaves are somewhat rounded in outline, 1 meter broad or less, palmately 7- or 9-lobed, each lobe pinnately incised or lobed. Petioles are stout, hollow, and about 1 meter long. Staminate inflorescence is axillary, pendulous, paniculate, and 1 to 1.5 meters long. Male flowers are in crowded clusters, straw-colored, and fragrant. Corolla tube is slender, about 2 centimeters long. Female flowers are in short, axillary spikes or racemes, the petals 7 centimeters long or less. Fruit is indehiscent, subglobose, obovoid or oblong-cylindric, 5 to 30 centimeters long, fleshy and yellowish or yellow-orange when ripe, containing numerous black seeds which are embedded in the sweet pulp.  Found throughout the Philippines, in cultivation or semi-cultivation, in many regions. Thoroughly naturalized, at low and medium altitudes. Introduced from tropical America.  http://www.stuartxchange.org/Papaya.html

20p Santol (Sandoricum koetjape).  The santol is believed native to former Indochina and Peninsular Malaysia, and to have been introduced into Sri Lanka, India, Borneo, Indonesia, the Moluccas, Mauritius, The Seychelles and the Philippines where it has become naturalized.  It is commonly cultivated throughout these regions and the fruits are seasonally abundant in the local and international markets. The ripe fruits are harvested by climbing the tree and plucking by hand, alternatively a long stick with a forked end may be used to twist the fruits off. The pulp is eaten raw and plain or with spices added. It is also cooked and candied or made into marmalade. Grated pulp is cooked in coconut milk (with bits of pork and hot pepper) and served as a dish in Bicol, Philippines.  Santol seeds are inedible and may cause complications such as intestinal obstruction if swallowed.  The wood of the tree is useful for construction, being plentiful and usually easy to work and polish. It makes a good shade tree. The leaves and bark have been used medicinally as a poultice. Several parts of the plant may have anti-inflammatory effects,  and some chemical extracts from santol stems have shown anti-cancer properties in vitro. Extracts from santol seeds have insecticidal properties.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandoricum_koetjape

25p Atis, Custard Apple (Annona aquamosa).  Known internationally as sweetsop, sugar apple or custard apple, the Atis is one fruit you can easily grow even if you have only a square meter of soil. The atis tree grow just about anywhere a seed falls. And it grows fast so that you can get to harvest fruits in a little over a year from seedling stage. A tree bears fruits about three times a year: in the summer, during rainy season and towards Christmas. The best batch of fruits, those with thicker and sweeter flesh, comes out in the summer.  http://www.seasite.niu.edu/tagalog/Tagalog_Default_files/Philippine_Culture/pagkaing%20pilipino/philippine_fruits.htm

 

 

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Articles by Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak

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