FLACOURTIACEAE

the Indian plum family, belonging to the violet order (Violales) and comprising about 85 genera of widely distributed tropical and subtropical trees and shrubs. Various species yield edible fruit or commercially useful wood. The ramontchi, batoko plum, or governor's plum (Flacourtia indica or F. ramontchi), native to Southeast Asia and East Africa and commonly cultivated in warm regions of the United States, bears a dark red, astringent fruit, about 12 mm (about 0.5 inch) in diameter, that is of some medicinal use. The tree also yields a wood suitable for tool handles. Other members of the genus Flacourtia bear similar fruit. The wood of the wild peach (Kiggelaria africana), native to southern Africa, is used for furniture. The kei apple (Dovyalis caffra), native to southern Africa, is grown as a hedge and for its fruit, which is pickled or used in preserves. The bright yellow fruit is about 2.5 cm (1 inch) in diameter.