BUAH MERAH

Pandanus Conoideus commonly known as Red Fruit, Kuansu, Buah Merah, Screwpine, Pandanus ‘Cokelat’, Marita, Oil Pandan and Red Pandanus is a plant that grows in the mountain regions of Papua, Indonesia especially in Jayawijaya mountain area (Wamena and Tolikara), Jayapura, Manokwari, Nabire, Timika, and Ayamaru Sorong. Pandanus conoideus is a plant in the pandan family. Buah Merah comes from the Indonesian term Buah (meaning Fruit) and Merah (meaning Red). It simply means Red Fruit and looks like a giant carrot. Buah Merah can only be found in the mountainous parts of Papua, Indonesia. It can grow in huge sizes around 100 cm in length, 18 cm in diameter length and weighs about 7.5 kg. The fruit has a blunt edge and cylindrical shape. These types of plants carry fruit in the age of 3 years from planting. It has known several medicinal applications which the natives use and was also believed to be a good supplement.

There are around 30 cultivars of Red Fruit. But only four variants have high economy values among others such as merah panjang (long red), merah pendek (short red), cokelat (brown), and kuning (yellow). Red Fruit variants that are used as medicine is of merah panjang (long red). It is traditionally believed to be a good supplement as a skin and eye medicine, and as worm treatment. The fruit is typically prepared by splitting it, wrapping it in leaves, and cooking it in an earth oven.

Description

Red Fruit (Buah Merah) is actually a branching, dioecious evergreen aborescent shrub, growing 15 meters high. It grows best in moist locations, often under shade, and tolerates water-logged soils. It thrives in loose, fertile soil rich in humus. Its roots constitute the root of the air which strung to the height of one meter through the bottom of the stem. Stem is brown with white spots, round, beam vessels does not seem obvious, hard, direction grow vertically or upright, branching number 2-4, and prickly surface.