Agroforestree Database

Local names:
 Burmese (al), English (Indian mulberry,great morinda,cheesefruit), Filipino (bangkuro), French (morinde), Indonesian (bengkudu), Lao (Sino-Tibetan) (nhoo baanz), Malay (mengkudu jantan), Thai (yo ban), Vietnamese (nhau)

Morinda citrifolia is an evergreen shrub or small crooked tree with a conical crown, 3-8(-10) m tall, with a deep taproot; bark greyish or yellowish-brown, shallowly fissured, glabrous; branchlets quandrangular.

Leaves opposite and simple, elliptic-lanceolate, (10-)15-50 cm x 5-17 cm, entire, acute to shortly acuminate at apex, cuneate at base, pinnately nerved, glabrous; petioles 0.5-2.5 cm long; stipules variable in size and shape, broadly triangular.  

Inflorescences globose heads, 1-4 cm long peeduncled, in axils of stipules opposite normally developed leaves; flowers bisexual, fragrant; corolla funnel-shaped, up to 1.5 cm long, white; stamens inserted on the mouth of the corolla; stigma bilobed.

Fruit an ovoid syncarp of red-brown, pyramidal, 2-seeded drupes, 3-10 cm x 2-3 cm, yellow-white.

M. citrifolia is sometimes subdivided into two varieties: var. citrifolia and var. bracteata (Roxb.) Hook.f.  The latter has calyx-limbs with 12 leaflike, linear-lanceolate lobes ca. 1-1.5 cm long; the stem is straighter and the leaves are smaller than var. citrifolia.

Ecology

Indian mulberry is commonly found up to altitudes of 1500 m in humid and seasonal climates of the region, with an estimated annual rainfall of 1500-3000 mm or more.  The species occurs in evergreen, (semi-)deciduous to more or less xerophyt formations, often typically littoral vegetations.  It also occurs in pioneer and secondary vegetation after cultivation and bush fires (Cambodia), deforestation or volcanic activity (Krakatau).  It is persistent and very tolerant.

Native range
Australia

Tree management

Husbandry: Weeding is carried out at least twice and starts about 1 month after transplanting.  No maintenance is needed after first year. High-yielding bark may be expected after 3-5 years.  The roots are dug out, cleaned in water, and the bark removed. Yield of bark is reported to be 500-1000 kg/ha, containing about 0.25% morindin.

Indian mulberry is commonly found up to altitudes of 1500 m in humid and seasonal climates of the region, with an estimated annual rainfall of 1500-3000 mm or more.  The species occurs in evergreen, (semi-)deciduous to more or less xerophyt formations, often typically littoral vegetations.  It also occurs in pioneer and secondary vegetation after cultivation and bush fires (Cambodia), deforestation or volcanic activity (Krakatau).  It is persistent and very tolerant.

Indian mulberry is propagated by seeds which should be sown in nursery beds.  After germination, seedlings are transplanted at ca. 1.2 m x 1.2 m in well-tilled soil.  The seeds remain viable for at least 6 months.  Germination is 3-9 weeks after sowing.

 Despite the smell of putrid cheese when ripe, the fruits are eaten raw or prepared, as are the leaves. The nutritional value of the fruit and leaves is considerable.  The leaves are a rich source of vitamin A.

Timber:  The wood splits excessively in drying and its uses are restricted to fuel and poles.

Tannin or dyestuff: Before the introduction of synthetic dyes (e.g. alizarin) the red dye from the rootbark of Indian mulberry was important.  In the late 19th Century, there were plantations in coastal areas of northern Java and adjoining islands.  Cultivation for the dye is restricted to areas where traditional textile dyeing is still important, e.g. in the production of high quality batik on Java.  The basis of the morindone dyeing matter, called Turkish  red, is the hydrolysed (red) form of the glycoside morindin. This is the most abundant anthraquinone which is mainly found in the rootbark which reaches a concentration of 0.25-0.55% in fresh bark in 3-5 years.  It is similar to that found in Rubia tinctorum L. and to synthetic alizarin.

Medicine: Nowadays, single trees are encouranged or cultivated in gardens mainly for medicinal purposes.  Most parts of the tree have been widely used medicinally since ancient times.  In Vietnam roots serve to treat stiffness and tetanus and have been proven to combat arterial tension.  Elsewhere they are used as febrifuge, tonic and antiseptic.  The fruits are used as a diuretic, a laxative, an emollient and as an emmenagogue, for asthma and other respiratory problems, as a treatment for arthritic and comparable inflammations, in cases of leucorrhoea and sapraemia and for maladies of inner organs.  Roots, leaves and fruits may have anthelmintic properties.  In traditional medicine the parts used are administered raw or as juices and infusions or in ointments and poultices.  The curative properties of the plant parts are ascribed to the presence of medicinally active anthraquinone derivates.  The fruit contains rancid smelling capric acid and unpleasant tasting caprylic acid.  It is thought that antibiotically active compounds are present.

Intercropping: Intercropping with cereals and perennials is possible (e.g. shade in cofffee).

Other services: In Malaysia and Thailand the tree is used as a support for pepper plants.