Site icon HORNBILL DISPERSED FRUIT OF BORNEO

Litsea garciae (Engkala): Cultivated

Litsea garcia (Lauraceae)  is a Borneo endemic  which grows wild in lowland forests and is also commonly cultivated in home orchards.  The fruit are normally boiled  before eating with salt. The oily flesh resembles  that of an  avocado.  Wild fruits are dispersed by hornbills and large pigeons  which swallow the fruit and re-regurgitate the seeds.

The Litsea garciae fruits in this article were photographed in Limbang market in December 2017, coinciding with the local fruiting season for durians, mangos and rambutans.

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