Langsat or Langsat Fruit Plant or a plant called Scientific Lansium Domesticum is a fruit-producing tree that usually grows as high as 10-30 meters in the wild but generally only 5 - 10 meters in cultivation. The straight cylindrical trunk is irregularly grooved and has steep supports up to 2 meters wide at the base, the tree can be unbranched for most of the tree's height and up to 75cm in diameter.
This plant is often cultivated, especially in Southeast Asia such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia. And it is considered as one of the best fruits in the Malay region. Langsat trees, mainly grown as backyard or garden trees and their fruit are generally sold in local markets.
CHARACTER OF THE SKY TREE
Langsat is an ultra-tropical plant, and It is a tropical lowland forest tree and even in its native area it cannot grow at an altitude above 650 - 750 meters, while the temperature range for growth is reported to be between 12 - 40 ° c with an optimum temperature between 20 - 35 ° c, and requires an atmosphere that is rich in humidity and cannot withstand the long dry season. The range of annual precipitation for growth is reported to be 1,000 - 3,000 mm with an optimal between 1,400 - 2,200 mm. In Java, for example, trees grow in areas with 6 - 12 wet months if the rainfall is more than 100 mm per month.
Young Langsat plants need shade from strong sunlight, but older plants can tolerate full sun, albeit with some shade. In the Philippines, an average productive Langsat tree produces 1,000 fruits per year, where it is planted in semi-shade.
USES AND BENEFITS OF SKY TREE
Langsat fruit is watery, aromatic and subacid. Besides being eaten just like that, Buag Langsat can be sweetened and preserved into syrup.
Each fruit contains 5 or 6 segments of aromatic, white, clear, juicy flesh, with 1 - 3 relatively large and very bitter seeds in each fruit. These Langsat seeds sometimes cling very tightly to the flesh and then can cause a bitter taste in the fruit. Meanwhile, langsat skin is easy to remove and the meat is usually eaten on its own or served as a dessert, and can be cooked in many ways. Varieties with a lot of Gum or Latex are best dipped in boiling water to remove the gumminess before peeling. Although refreshing, Langsat Fruit has the lowest vitamin C content of all fruits grown in Southeast Asia.
BENEFITS OF SKIN TREE MEDICINE
- Dry skin is used for the treatment of diarrhea and intestinal spasms, malaria and other fevers.
- The ground seeds are used as febrifuge and febrifuge.
- The leaf juice is used as eye drops to get rid of inflammation.
AGROFORESTRY USES
- Langsat trees are usually used for reforestation in hilly areas.
OTHER USES
- The skin is reported to be high in tannins.
- Fresh skin contains 0.2% light yellow essential oil, from dry skin, dark semi-liquid oleoresin consisting of 0.17% essential oil and 22% resin is obtained.
- Dry skin is burned in Java, its aromatic smoke functions as a mosquito repellent and as incense in the sick's room.
- The wood is light brown, medium-hard, fine grained, tough, elastic and durable, weighing 840 kg / m3. It is used in Java for house poles, rafters, tool handles and small tools.
HOW TO CULTIVATE LANGSAT TREE
Langsat is usually grown from seed, but has a short viability and Langsat seeds must be planted within 1-2 days of being removed from the fruit. Sow Langsat Seeds in a shaded position in the nursery. Langsat seed germination can usually appear after 10 days, with about 90% germinating in one month.
