Naus (Polynesian vi-apple)
- Vanuatu has a greater variability in forms of this species than anywhere else in the world. It is particularly diverse in Malekula, and to a lesser degree, Malo, Pentecost, and Ambrym.
- Fruit bats feed on the fruit and spread the seeds in the forests.
- At full ripeness the fruit becomes dry and fibrous and no longer edible.
- It is used for treating ciguatera and for the treatment of coughs.
Spondias dulcis
Naus is native to the Indo-Malayan region to Tahiti, including Vanuatu. It is a medium sized tree, 10 to 15 m in height, with a straight smooth grey trunk and four to eight small buttresses. The crown of the tree is rounded. In Vanuatu, there is greater variability between forms of this species than anywhere else, and villagers distinguish between different types of this species according to the size, colour and taste of its fruits. Naus loses its leaves during the dry season.
Leaves
The elliptical shaped leaves are 4 to 14 cm in length and 2.5 to 5 cm in width and finely toothed towards the apex. They are a glossy dark green in colour, becoming yellow before falling.
Flowers
The flowers are grouped in loose clusters and are 50 cm long with very small white petals. They are fairly inconspicuous.
Fruit
The fruit is green, yellow, or orange when ripe. It is spherical or egg shaped with a length of 6 to 12 cm and a width of 4.5 to 9 cm. The fruit are found in bunches of 12 or more on a long stalk. The pulp is juicy and yellow or orange, often with fibres that are sometimes arranged in a loose and indistinct matrix. The fruit falls to the ground when green and hard before ripening. Villagers distinguish between several sorts of this species according to the colour and size of the fruit and its taste.
- First fully open flower
- Less than half the tree is in full flower
- More than half the tree is in full flower
- All of the tree is in full flower
- No flowering
- Less than half the tree has fruit
- More than half the tree has fruit
- All of the tree has fruit
- No fruit
- Green fruit present
- Ripened fruit present
- First leaf to change colour (< 25% of the leaves have changed colour)
- Leaving changing colour (>50 % of the leaves have changed colour)
- No leaves
When to Look
- Year round.
- Flowering is generally from July to September.
- Fruiting is April to June.
- Harvest of the fruit is in January.
- The tree loses its leaves in June to July.
Where to Look
- Low-elevation habitats, up to 300 m.
- Naus is often planted around villages or close to gardens, rather than inside the village.
