Bignay (Antidesma bunius)

Family: Phyllanthaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

Bignay or Antidesma bunuis is a small tropical bushy tree that is usually 3 - 6 m tall but can reach 15 -30 m high. It is also known as Chinese laurel, currant tree, and buni. It is a dioecious plant. In Asia, the dark green, long, narrow, and shiny leaves are commonly used for treating snakebites. The leaves and roots are used for traumatic injury. Bignay fruit is edible, usually eaten raw or cooked and used in jam, jellies and preserves.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Berries, Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

flavoring. — Edible portion: Fruit, Leaves, Spice/flavoring.; The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked and used in jellies, preserves etc.; When fully ripe, the thin but tough-skinned fruit is juicy and slightly sweet.; The fruit is likened by some people to cranberries and is eaten mainly by children.

Habitat & North American Range

Wet evergreen forest, dipterocarp forest and teak forest; on river banks, at forest edges, along roadsides; in bamboo thickets; in semi-cultivated and cultivated areas; in shady or open habitats; usually in secondary but also in primary vegetation. (Zone 10)