Family: Phyllanthaceae

Tahitian gooseberry tree is a small tree/shrub. A crown of alternately arranged branchlets sits atop slender trunks. Green on top and blueish underneath, leaflets are ovate with short petioles and pointed tips. Flowers can be male, female, or hermaphrodite. They appear in clusters on the leafless parts of the main branches. Numerous fruits are densely clustered, pale, white, waxy, and juicy.

The exact origin of this shrub is obscure, but it is thought the Tahitian gooseberry tree hails from Madagascar. It arrived in the Philippines during prehistoric times and was widely dispersed throughout the region. In 1793 the shrub was introduced to Jamaica and was shared among the Caribbean. Today it is commonly cultivated in Guam, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, and Malaya.

Candy, vinegar, pickles, juice, chutney, relish, and preserves are made from the edible fruit. The leaves are cooked for better flavor and texture. Medicinally both the leaves and fruit are used for a variety of ailments.

Plant Uses:

• Cultural significance
• Edible
• Medicinal
• Ornamental

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers

High Risk Traits:

• Naturalized beyond native range (e.g., Mexico, Central America, Caribbean)
  
• Congeneric weeds exist (P. miruri, P. tenellus)
  
• Tolerates a wide range of soil conditions
  
• Produces viable seed
  
• Propagules dispersed intentionally by people
  
• Propagules bird-dispersed (fleshy fruit)
  
• Propagules survive gut passage
  
• Prolific seed production

Low Risk Traits:

• Not climate versatile (tropical/subtropical only)
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Not allelopathic or parasitic
  
• Not toxic to animals or humans (fruit edible)
  
• Not shade tolerant (requires full sun)
  
• No vegetative fragmentation (though possible via cuttings)
  
• Minimum generation time 4+ years (slow to reproduce)