Description

Gin Berry is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae, known commonly as orangeberry and gin berry. It occurs in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. It is cultivated for its edible pink fruits. In temperate zones, it can be cultivated indoors as a houseplant.

Characteristics:

Gin Berry is a moderate sized shrub that grows up to 1 meter in height. Leaves are imparipinnately compound, alternate, gland dotted and entire. Leaflets are nearly opposite, 7-15 x 2-5.5 cm, elliptic-lanceshaped, narrowed at base, entire to minutely crenulate-sawtoothed on the margins, pointed to round at tip, glandular on both sides, hairless; axis 6-10 cm long; leaflet-stalk about 2 mm long. Flowers are small, white, occuring in panicles in leaf axils. Sepals 5, 1-1.5 mm long, ovate-pointed, fringed with hairs on margins. Petals are 5, white, 4-5 x 2-2.5 mm, obovate, surface gland-dotted. Stamens 8-10, longer and shorter filaments of longer ones about 3 mm long, shorter, about 2 mm long. Disc prominent, annular. Fruits are pulpy, round berries, 1-1.2 cm across, white, turning rose-colored, containing round seeds. Gin Berry is found in the stream banks, wet areas from plains up to 900 m, in India, Sri Lanka to S.E.Asia and Malaysia.

Medicinal Uses: