Photo: Filo gèn', CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Spondias mombin
Yellow mombin (monben)
- Also called Yellow mombin, Hog plum, Jobo
- Haitian Creole Monben, gwo monben
- French Mombin
Deciduous tree, 15-25 m
What it is
Yellow mombin is a tall tropical tree in the cashew family, with thick, corky, ridged bark and leaves made of many paired leaflets. Its small white flowers are fragrant and grow in large loose sprays. Its oval yellow fruits, 3 to 4 cm, have a thin layer of tangy, sweet-sour pulp around a large stone. It grows wild from Mexico to Brazil and in the Caribbean.
What it's used for
- The fruit is eaten fresh or made into juice, ice cream and jam.
- Large cuttings root easily, so it is planted as a living fence that later grows into trees.
- Its flowers are visited by bees, and its fruit is eaten by birds, bats and livestock.
- Its light wood is used for boxes and matches.
Where we plant it
Our partners plant the mix of native species that suits each site and season, so a gift plants trees in the project rather than this one species. Spondias mombin is one of the species planted there.
More trees planted in Pollinator Agroforestry in Haiti
Candelabra spurgeEuphorbia lactea
Moringa (benzolive)Moringa oleifera
Red mombin (siwèl)Spondias purpurea
Cassava (manyòk)Manihot esculenta
Mesquite or bayahondeProsopis juliflora
Spanish cedar (sèd)Cedrela odorata
Cacao, the chocolate treeTheobroma cacao
Sour orange (zoranj si)Citrus aurantium
See all 16 species in Pollinator Agroforestry in Haiti
Other species we plant
Mangrove Restoration in Kenya
4 species
Rebuilding Oregon's Forests
5 species
Reforestation in Tamil Nadu, India
37 species
LimeberryBaheda or Beleric myrobalanBig-fruited jamunSouth Indian suregadaJamun, Naval or Black plumDevil pepper or Wild snakerootWoody-fruited PterospermumCork-leaved bayurVengai, Vijaysar or Indian kinoCeylon boxwoodCorky debbar treePanakka treeWinged naringi, a wild citrusPamburus, a wild citrus relativeElumbotti, the bone-knit shrubClimbing olaxBakul, Magizham or Spanish cherryKaya or Ironwood treeNotched-leaf spike thornPalai, Palu or KhirniPointed-leaf jasmineIndian screw tree or ValampuriGrewia, a dry-country shrubGrewia, a dry-forest shrubOrangeberry or KonjiGarlic fruit or Bitter garciniaHairy fig or PeyattiWild karanda or ConkerberryCansjera, a native forest climberShining bush-violetVagai or Siris treeUsilai or Krishna sirisChokkalai or Droopy leafWild lime or Kattu elumichaiKorinti, a custard-apple relativeIndian allophylus or TitberryLolly berry or Saptarangi
