1- Introduction to the Species Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jeffrey - Luo Han Guo
1.1- Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(Unfranked): Angiosperms
(Unfranked): Eudicots
(Unfranked): Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily: Cucurbitoideae
Tribe: Joliffieae
Subtribe: Thladianthinae
Genus: Siraitia
Species: Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jeffrey
Kingdom: Plantae
(Unfranked): Angiosperms
(Unfranked): Eudicots
(Unfranked): Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily: Cucurbitoideae
Tribe: Joliffieae
Subtribe: Thladianthinae
Genus: Siraitia
Species: Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jeffrey
1.2- Species Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jeffrey - Luo Han Guo
+ Overview
Siraitia grosvenorii is a herbaceous perennialvine in the Genus Siraitia, in the Tribe Joliffieae, in the Subfamily Cucurbitoideae, in the Cucurbitaceae (gourd) family of the Order Cucurbitales. It is native to southern China and northern Thailand. The plant is cultivated for its fruit, whose extract is nearly 300 times sweeter than sugar and has been used in China as a natural low-caloriesweetener for cooling drinks, and in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diabetes and obesity.
Luo han guo refers to the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii, a perennial, dioecious, herbaceous climbing vine, 2 to 5 m in length. It is cultivated in southern China, mainly in the Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hunan, and Jiangxi provinces, with most of the product from the mountains of Guilin. The round, green fruit turns brown when dried and is covered with small hairs. This is a distinct plant from bitter melon, Momordica charantia.
+ Synonyms:
1- Momordica grosvenorii Swingle
2- Thladiantha grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jeffrey.
+ The names
- Scientific name:
Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jeffrey ex A.M.Lu & Zhi Y.Zhang.
The scientific species name honors Gilbert Grosvenor who as president of the National Geographic Society helped to fund an expedition in the 1930s to find the living plant where it was being cultivated.
- Common names:
The plant's fruit is often called in English language publications luo han guo or lo han kuo (from the Chinese luóhàn guǒ). It may also be called la han qua (from Vietnamese la hán quả), arhat fruit, Buddha fruit, monk fruit, or longevity fruit (although this name has been used for several other fruits).
+ Overview
Siraitia grosvenorii is a herbaceous perennialvine in the Genus Siraitia, in the Tribe Joliffieae, in the Subfamily Cucurbitoideae, in the Cucurbitaceae (gourd) family of the Order Cucurbitales. It is native to southern China and northern Thailand. The plant is cultivated for its fruit, whose extract is nearly 300 times sweeter than sugar and has been used in China as a natural low-caloriesweetener for cooling drinks, and in traditional Chinese medicine to treat diabetes and obesity.
Luo han guo refers to the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii, a perennial, dioecious, herbaceous climbing vine, 2 to 5 m in length. It is cultivated in southern China, mainly in the Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hunan, and Jiangxi provinces, with most of the product from the mountains of Guilin. The round, green fruit turns brown when dried and is covered with small hairs. This is a distinct plant from bitter melon, Momordica charantia.
+ Synonyms:
1- Momordica grosvenorii Swingle
2- Thladiantha grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jeffrey.
+ The names
- Scientific name:
Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jeffrey ex A.M.Lu & Zhi Y.Zhang.
The scientific species name honors Gilbert Grosvenor who as president of the National Geographic Society helped to fund an expedition in the 1930s to find the living plant where it was being cultivated.
- Common names:
The plant's fruit is often called in English language publications luo han guo or lo han kuo (from the Chinese luóhàn guǒ). It may also be called la han qua (from Vietnamese la hán quả), arhat fruit, Buddha fruit, monk fruit, or longevity fruit (although this name has been used for several other fruits).
2- Characteristics of the Species Siraitia grosvenorii (Swingle) C.Jerrey - Luo Han Guo
2.1- Description
+ The plant
Luo Han Guo (also called monk fruit or Buddha fruit ) refers to the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii, formerly called Momordica grosvenorii, a member of the Curcubitaceae.
The vine attains a length of 3 to 5 m, climbing over other plants by means of tendrils which twine around anything they touch.
+ The leaves
The narrow, heart-shaped leaves are 10-20 cm long.
+The flowers
Unisexual flowers are dioecious; all peduncle, pedicel, sepals, and petals are pubescent and covered with glandular hairs; male flowers are axillary and 5 to 7 of them arrange in racemes; female flowers are solitary in leaf axils.
Flowering time is from June to August and fruiting time is from August to October.
+ The fruits
Luo Han Guo (luohanguo) refers to the fruit of species Siraitia grosvenori, formerly called Momordica grosvenori, a member of the family Cucurbitaceae.
The fruit is round, oblong or obovate, 5-7 cm in diameter, smooth, yellow-brownish or green-brownish in colour, containing striations from the fruit stem end of the furrows with a hard but thin skin covered by fine hairs. The skin is dark reddish brown when young and green and pubescent when mature.
The inside of the fruit contains an edible pulp, which, when dried, forms a thin, light brown, brittle shell about 1 mm in thickness.
The round, green fruit turns brown when dried and is covered with small hairs. This is a distinct plant from bitter melon, Momordica charantia . The fruit is sometimes mistaken for the unrelated purple mangosteen.
+ The seeds
The seeds are elongated and almost spherical.
+ The plant
Luo Han Guo (also called monk fruit or Buddha fruit ) refers to the fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii, formerly called Momordica grosvenorii, a member of the Curcubitaceae.
The vine attains a length of 3 to 5 m, climbing over other plants by means of tendrils which twine around anything they touch.
+ The leaves
The narrow, heart-shaped leaves are 10-20 cm long.
+The flowers
Unisexual flowers are dioecious; all peduncle, pedicel, sepals, and petals are pubescent and covered with glandular hairs; male flowers are axillary and 5 to 7 of them arrange in racemes; female flowers are solitary in leaf axils.
Flowering time is from June to August and fruiting time is from August to October.
+ The fruits
Luo Han Guo (luohanguo) refers to the fruit of species Siraitia grosvenori, formerly called Momordica grosvenori, a member of the family Cucurbitaceae.
The fruit is round, oblong or obovate, 5-7 cm in diameter, smooth, yellow-brownish or green-brownish in colour, containing striations from the fruit stem end of the furrows with a hard but thin skin covered by fine hairs. The skin is dark reddish brown when young and green and pubescent when mature.
The inside of the fruit contains an edible pulp, which, when dried, forms a thin, light brown, brittle shell about 1 mm in thickness.
The round, green fruit turns brown when dried and is covered with small hairs. This is a distinct plant from bitter melon, Momordica charantia . The fruit is sometimes mistaken for the unrelated purple mangosteen.
+ The seeds
The seeds are elongated and almost spherical.
2.2- Origin and Distribution
+ Origin
Siraitia grosvenorii is a herbaceous perennialvine of the Cucurbitaceae (gourd) family, native to southern China and northern Thailand.
+ Distribution
It is cultivated in southern China, mainly in the Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hunan, and Jiangxi provinces, with most of the product from the mountains of Guilin.
Due to its limited natural growing area (mainly mountain sides in Guangxi and Guangdong; to a much lesser extent, in Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hainan Island), and difficulty in cultivating it successfully, this fruit did not enter the general herb tradition of China, which depended on more abundant products. So, it is not mentioned in the traditional herb guides.
Longjiang Town in Yongfu County has acquired the name "home of the Chinese luohanguo fruit"; a number of companies specialised in making luohanguo extracts and finished products have been set up in the area. The Yongfu Pharmaceutical Factory is the oldest of these.
+ Origin
Siraitia grosvenorii is a herbaceous perennialvine of the Cucurbitaceae (gourd) family, native to southern China and northern Thailand.
+ Distribution
It is cultivated in southern China, mainly in the Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hunan, and Jiangxi provinces, with most of the product from the mountains of Guilin.
Due to its limited natural growing area (mainly mountain sides in Guangxi and Guangdong; to a much lesser extent, in Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hainan Island), and difficulty in cultivating it successfully, this fruit did not enter the general herb tradition of China, which depended on more abundant products. So, it is not mentioned in the traditional herb guides.
Longjiang Town in Yongfu County has acquired the name "home of the Chinese luohanguo fruit"; a number of companies specialised in making luohanguo extracts and finished products have been set up in the area. The Yongfu Pharmaceutical Factory is the oldest of these.
Edited by Ho Dinh Hai
Long An - Vietnam
References
1- http://www.worldwidefruits.com
2- http://www.worldwidefruits.com/orders-of-plants.html
3- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitales
4- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitaceae
5- http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Cucurbitaceae
6- http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/145889/Cucurbitaceae
7- http://theworldwidevegetables.weebly.com/subfamily-cucurbitoideae.html
8- http://theworldwidevegetables.weebly.com/tribe-joliffieae.html
9- https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Siraitia_grosvenorii
10- http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/herbs/luo-han-guo.html
11- http://www.chineseherbshealing.com/monk-fruit-lo-han-guo
Long An - Vietnam
References
1- http://www.worldwidefruits.com
2- http://www.worldwidefruits.com/orders-of-plants.html
3- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitales
4- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitaceae
5- http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Cucurbitaceae
6- http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/145889/Cucurbitaceae
7- http://theworldwidevegetables.weebly.com/subfamily-cucurbitoideae.html
8- http://theworldwidevegetables.weebly.com/tribe-joliffieae.html
9- https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Siraitia_grosvenorii
10- http://www.home-remedies-for-you.com/herbs/luo-han-guo.html
11- http://www.chineseherbshealing.com/monk-fruit-lo-han-guo
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