Gấc (botanical name: Momordica cochinchinensis) is a sort of perennial melon cultivated in the regions of Southeast Asia and Northeast Australia. It is noteworthy for its reddish-orange color due to the rich presence of beta-carotene and lycopene. Gac fruit has a gentle taste and thick flesh (mesocarp). There are two components inside a gac plant: fruit (yellow) and red seed membrane. Edible aril is found more in larger fruits than in lower fruits. When the fruits are mature, the aril surrounding gac fruits are boiled with sticky rice to create "Xôi Gcc," a traditional red-colored Vietnamese dish eaten at weddings and New Year celebrations. The spiny skin is separated and the fruits are sliced and cooked sometimes with potato or bottle gourd. In Sri Lanka, gac is used in curry, and in Thailand, gac is served with ice cream.
The hog plum and several other species of the genus Spondias are cultivated for their edible plumlike fruits. The young leaves can also be eaten, and various parts of the plant are used in traditional medicine. The plants have naturalized in many parts of Africa and southeast Asia.
Coconut, coconut palm (English) niu (Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji) coco de agua, palmera de coco (Spanish), Kokospalme (German), noix de coco (French) kelapa, nyior (Malaysia/Indonesia), niyog (Tagalog). Generally originated from coastal areas of Southeast Asia. It belongs to the Arecaceae family or the palm family. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit. It is not a botanical nut but a drupe. A drupe is a fruit with skin and flesh that surrounds a hardened shell with a seed inside. Found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, the coconut palm prospers on sandy soils and is highly tolerant of salinity. It needs abundant sunlight and regular rainfall (150 cm to 250 cm annually). Coconuts also need high humidity (70–80%+) for optimum growth and temperatures above 24°C. The first mature fruits can be produced 5–6 years from planting. Fruits are produced throughout the year but where rainfall is seasonal, more fruits are produced in some months than others. It is remarkably adaptable to a wide range of soil types as long as water logging does not occur within 1 m of the surface.
