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| Origin | It originates from western Southeast Asia, ranging from Southern India to the Philippines. It is found easily in Malaysia and Thailand. |
| Description | Dokung has the combined propertied of duku and langsat. The fruit can be elliptical, oval, or round. Each round fruit is covered by yellowish thick, leathery skin. Underneath the skin, the fruit is divided into five or six slices of translucent, juicy flesh. |
| Growth Habitat | The tree is easy to grow like most tropical fruit trees in the tropics & warm sub tropics. It is mainly grown as an intercrop under coconut or mixed with durian, mangosteen and other trees which serve as companion trees that provide shade. It thrives only in sheltered and humid environments with elevation up to 800 m, but prefers near sea level. |
| Foliage | Pinnate compound leaves that is slightly leathery with thin hair. The upper edge shines, and the leaves themselves have pointed bases and tips. |
| Flowers | Cauliflorous yellow flowers occur in solitary or clustered spikes, on trunk and major branches. The flowers are small, with short stems, and have two genders. The sheath is shaped like a five lobed cup and is colored a greenish-yellow. |
| Fruits | The thin-skinned fruits have 5 segments inside. Flesh is usually translucent whitish, though some types are pinkish. The fruit can either be slightly sweet to very sour while the seed is flat and intensely bitter. |
| Harvest | The harvesting season is short. In Thailand and Philippines, the fruit is available in 4 months from July to October but 8 months in Peninsular Malaysia from June to February. Complete harvesting may take 4 to 5 repetitions. Generally the fruits in a bunch ripen at the same time but there are some cases of uneven ripening which poses a problem. The fruits should be harvested dry. |
| Soil | The tree prefers rich, moist, slightly acidic soil with good drainage and rich in mulch. It will not tolerate alkaline soils but frequently grows on harder soils, with grasses underneath. |
| Pruning | Judicious pruning should be done during the dry season. Start pruning when the plants is 1.5 m tall. Then cut surfaces should be applied with copper fungicides. Decapitate the apical shoot to a height of 1 m to induce formation of secondary stems and bend the stems outward to promote good branching. |
| Fertilization | Organic fertilizer is recommended at the rate of 40 kg/tree/year applied once at the onset of the rainy season. Complete fertilizer (15-15-15) is applied twice a year at the beginning and at the end of the rainy season. The fertilizer is divided into four split application and broadcast around the plants every three months. Inorganic fertilizer is supplemented with organic fertilizer like decayed chicken dung at the rate of 5-10 kg/year split into two application. Fertilize with an application of a granular 6-6-6 fertilizer every four months to promote healthy foliage and fruit development. |
| Propagation | By air-layers, cuttings, or by graft. Seeds must be planted immediately yet a grown tree can take in excess of 15 years to bear fruit. 4-5" cuttings can be taken during active growth, and rooted in near 100% humidity with fair success, however air-layered and cutting grown trees tend to have weak root systems. |
| Nutritional Properties | The fruit contains riboflavin and thiamine, vitamin B-2 and B-1 respectively. Riboflavin supports body growth and red blood cell production. Additionally, riboflavin helps your body to release energy from carbohydrates. Your body uses thiamine to break down sugars. Additionally, thiamine can help to treat several nerve and heart conditions. It also contains vitamin A, also known as retinol or carotenoids. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a fundamental role in maintaining healthy skin, teeth, soft and skeletal tissue and mucous membranes. Vitamin A also functions as an eye pigment fundamental in night or low light situations. Additionally, it contains carotene, a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants play a fundamental role in protecting cells from free radicals, associated with many medical disorders. |
| Health Benefits | The dried peel is burned to produce an aromatic smells which drives away mosquitoes. The bark is astringent and that its decoction is used for treatment of diarrhea. Bark powder is used to relieve scorpion sting. The mixture of powdered seeds and water are used for treatment of intestinal worms. Febrifuge– Any medicine that lowers body temperature to prevent or alleviate fever. The resin from bark was prescribed for flatulence (a state of excessive gas in the alimentary canal), for swellings and as an antispasmodic (a drug used to relieve or prevent spasms). The resin may be useful in the treatment of inflammation and colic (acute abdominal pain) of the gastro-intestinal tract. |
| Commercial Uses | Cosmeceutical value from its antioxidant, moisturizing, whitening and lightening effects. Dry extract of fruit, re-dissolved in propylene glycol is used for skin depigmentation and as a moisturizer. The dried fruit skins when burned emit an aromatic smell which repels mosquitoes. It also makes a pleasant room inhalant. The juice of the bark and fruit is recorded as used for poison arrow or treatment for malaria and dysentery patients. The fruit can also be bottled in syrup. The wood is hard, thick, heavy, and resilient and used in house posts, tool handles, furniture and in construction of rural houses. |
| Food Suggestion | Pinoy Fish with Dukung Sauce 1 kilo fish fillet, sliced Salt and pepper 1/4 cup lemon or kalamansi juice 1/4 cup oil for frying 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups fish stock 2 pieces tanglad leaves 1 cup fresh peeled lanzones 1/4 cup chopped kinchay Instructions: - Season the fish with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Fry in hot oil until done. In a saucepan, blend the butter and flour to make a roux. Cook for a few minutes then stir in the fish stock. - Whisk the sauce until smooth and slightly thick. Add tanglad leaves. Simmer for about 5 minutes then remove the tanglad and add the cooked fish and peeled dokong. - Simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve topped with kinchay. |
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