– Habitat:
– Phulwara Tree is native to Nepal and adjoining areas of India
– Grows in sub-Himalayan tract between 300 and 1500 meters above sea level
– Also found in the Andaman Islands
– Tree:
– Medium-size deciduous tree with a straight trunk
– Height ranges from 15 to 22 meters, with girth of 1.5 to 1.8 meters
– Bark is dark grey or brown
– Begins yielding fruits after five to nine years, reaching full potential in about fifteen years
– Can yield fruits for fifty to sixty years
– Leaves:
– Form clusters at the end of branches, pink or white in color
– Elliptically shaped, 20 to 35mm long by 9 to 18cm wide
– Flowers:
– 2.0 to 2.5cm in diameter
– White or pale yellow in color with a sweet fragrance
– Fruit:
– Oval shaped berry, 2.0 to 4.5cm in diameter
– Bright shiny green or blackish skin
– Ripens from May to August
– Sweet and edible, containing 8.5% sugars & 5.6% crude fiber
– Seed constitutes twenty percent of the fruit
– Seed collection:
– Ripened fruits collected by hand or beating the plant
– Fruits dried in shade for 8-12 days
– Seeds separated manually or mechanically
– Roller machine used for larger quantities
– Average annual fruit yield per tree is about 100 to 250 kilograms
– Oil extraction:
– Oil extracted from kernel of Phulwara seeds
– Outer shell removed by traditional or mechanical methods
– Seeds pounded into fine powder and steamed for oil extraction
– Traditional oil expeller known as Chepuwa used for extraction
– Properties of oil:
– Bitter taste due to impurities like saponins
– Post-extraction filtration or purification required for edibility
– Contains 56.6% palmitic acid and 36.0% oleic acid
– Also contains 3.6% stearic acid and 3.8% linoleic acid
– Oleic acid is a mono-unsaturated fatty acid
– Uses of oil:
– Main source of edible oil for over 100,000 people
– Used for cooking vegetables and roti (Nepali bread)
– Chiuri butter used in confectionery, pharmaceuticals, and soap making
– Effective for rheumatism and as an additive in animal ghee
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2014) |
Phulwara oil is extracted from seeds of Phulwara tree (Diploknema butyracea; family Sapotaceae). Phulwara Trees are also known locally as Chiuri Trees, Kaeleb Trees, or Butter Nut Trees. Refined Phulwara Oil is marketed as Phulwara Ghee.
