Oval Leaf Mangrove Apple (Sonneratia ovata)

• Scientific Name: Sonneratia ovata — Oval-Leaf Mangrove Apple or Gedabu.

• Native Home: India's Andaman Islands, southern China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and parts of Papua New Guinea.

• Height: Typically 5–15 m, occasionally reaching 20 m.

• Lifespan: A perennial tree; a reliable average lifespan has not been established.

  Kew Science

  
  
  
  

Uses and Harvesting

• Timber: Wood is used locally for firewood; it has limited commercial timber value.

• Harvesting: Fruits may be collected for traditional food uses. Bark contains tannins, but the quantity is generally too low for major commercial extraction.

• Age to Harvest: No standard commercial harvest age; growth depends on tidal conditions, salinity, and habitat.

• Products: Traditional fruit preparations, firewood, coastal-restoration plants, and erosion-control planting.

  Plant Resources of South East Asia

  
  
  
  

History and Global Production

• Traditional Use: The edible fruits have traditionally been used as a substitute for vinegar in some Southeast Asian communities.

• Global Spread: Native to tropical Asian mangrove forests, including the Andaman Islands and parts of Southeast Asia. It grows along sheltered shorelines and muddy, brackish areas at the landward edge of mangrove forests. Its broad, rounded leaves and small green fruits help distinguish it from related mangrove apple species.

  Sonneratia ovata